The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-02-04

He declared that tne present sys
tenn is obsolete and cumbersome, 81
that efficiency is well-nigh Impossible
I'VE found provisions for checks
cautions, delays, debates and dis
agreements, but little or no provision
for prompt decision and energetic
action" he asserted Nine month:
after we entered the var and three
months after our men were gathered
in environments we found in the deac
of winter thousands of men without
OyercoatS, lacking wooden breeches
without wooden blouses and Other
serious shortages. We found most o.
the machine gun companies unable tc
drill two months after they were
formed because they had no machine
guns. Even in December we find J.,
200 still kept in storage for some
foolish and inexplicable reason, while
each camp had been supplied with
only eighty machine guns
I'VE found hundreds OF thousands
Of men drilling with wooden sticks
for weeks and months because OF de
lays in ordering rifles last spring
We found men sent to France without
opportunity for rifle or machine gun
practice. We found a distressing
amount OF sickness in most camps
and an unnecessary mortality due 70
lack of clothing and to over crowd
Ing. The over croyGing we found
due to a failure to provide an ade-
quate number of tents. We found
camp hospitals without drainage,
plumbing or heat and sick men with
out nurses.
"We found that the first heavy
artillery of American make cannot BE-
received until July and not much be-
fore 1919 can we expect 10 use in
France American heavy artillery in
any great quantity.
I'VE found that we are only now
nine months after entering the war
Just beginning 10 work on two great
powder plants to cost s60,00O,000. al
though il was evident last summer
that we must have million pounds
day more powder than America can
now manufacture. We cannot get
more powder from these plants before
next August.
I've found that though the medical
department asked for hospital ships
last July. they have not yet been or
dered.''
Hitchcock said he didn't deny that
much creditable work had been done
IN the war departnle TENT
Turning to the remedy Hitchcock
declared:
IF a high class man could be made
director of munitions and be given
power 10 buy all supplies needed by
the various bureaus OF the war de-
partment. he would soon bring order
out of disorder, cut red tape, stop de-
lays and furnish the American army
with its supplies promptly and econ
omically.
we would locate and c~ntralize re-
sponsibility and authority. The busi-
ness Of supplying the department
would be on up-to-date methods OF
great business concerns. Great Brit
ain and France had 70 come to it.
Il am told that some genius in the
war department bureau succeeded in
shipping to France q carload Of saw
dust which Is plentiful enough and
cheap enough there while nearly three
million tons of important freight has
been waiting chance to go over for
q month" he said.
Conflicting orders for bags for gas
masks, he asserted, had been issued
in the war department-one for one
million, another for two million and
third for five million
Fortunately one Of the civilian
committeeman outside the department
discovered one of the conflicting or
ders and secured a revision and stop
ped a blunder, he said.
1.-The president and secretary of war
have evidently realized the defeat Of
the existing system and have attempt
ed to change It," said Hitchcock,
without explanation but without sue
cess"
In ~ n
the heads Of the ordnance and quarter
master generals departments and
other changes.
'-And now since the introduction OF
the bill creating a director OF NUM-
tons another step has been taken"
he said. The Office Of surveyor of pur-
chases is created with rather vague
authority and somewhat underlined
duties. He has no power in law. be-
cause legislation is necessary.
These great war bureaus should
he focused in some authority that
would harmonic them and coordinate
them. That is what is proposed in the
bill for a war cabinet Of three men,"
he asserted.
He referred specifically to the board
controlling priority OF freight ship
ments, the raw materials board, the
war industries board. the food admin
.jstratien, the fuel administration, the
shipping board the air craft produc-
ton board, the allied purchasing
board, the war trade board and the di-
rector general Of railways.
at is not too much to say that the
great transportation system of the
United States has broken down. II is
q gigantic wreck today: even travel
has become difficult" Hitchcock said.
AS for the fuel situation, Hitchcock
said that lack Of knowledge, lack Of
transportation, and lack Of harmony
between the fuel administration and
ether functions OF the government
were the cause Of ,Gns-breakdown.
"If there had been some authority,
he said, which could have brought the
,uel administration into close contact
with the mining and labor interests OF
the country and with the war indus
tries of the country as well into CON
tact with the shipping board and other
branches of the government, much of