Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-06
WOOL SHORTAGE SCARE
BROUGHT, ,SHODDY GOODS
Such Is Statement Made by Quar-
termastcr's Agent to Senate
Probe Committee.
SYSTEM CAUSE OF DELAYS
American Cloth Makers Not Equip
ped to Make All-Wool Garments
and Hence Could Not Share In
Contracts, Witness Testifies.
SYSTEM CAUSE OF DELAYS
rRv A,sociat.d Pres,.l

WASHINGTON. January 5.-Respon-
sibility for shortages OF army clothing
was placed upon the supplies COM
mittce of tho Council of National De-
Tense to-day by Colonel Elmer Lindsey.
quartermaster's agent at Philadelphia,
testifying at the Senate committees
war inquiry. Another witness. William
Bianchi. New York dealer. who has
purchased cloth for foreign armies
charged that an unnecessary wool
shortage scare" was created to in
crease the use OF wool shoddy, Or
dcred for army garments by the sup
plies committee.
Colonel Lindsey contradicted the re-
cent testimony Of Vice-Chairman Els
cnman, OF the supplies committee, that
the committed had secured an abund-
ance Of cloth for army needs. He said
there now is a shortage of 100000
yards of cloth and that the supplies
committee system was responsible for
both delays and friction.
Garment manufacturers. the witness
dclared. are without sufficient cloth
to keep their factories working to ca
pacity and in that connection, he said
that "haggling" by the committee with
the American Woolen Company last
summer over prices had caused q loss
to the government of 1900. 900 yards of
cloth. many looms being idle for two
or three months. Strikes OF garment
makers also have caused some delay, he
said.
Bianchi said the wool shortage
Scare" as he termed 1t. was in the
interest of manufacturers OF shoddy
garments. Many American cloth
makers. he testified. do not have fac
tories equipped to make an-wool gar
ments. and. therefore. could not have
shared in tho war contracts il shoddy
had not been approved for army cloth
inE European armies, he asserted.
arc better clothed than American SOL
diers. and he severely criticized the use
or Shoddy, declaring il wholly unnec-
cssary.
Chairman Chamberlain announced
that discrepancies in the testimony of
Mr. Eisenman and Quartermastcr-Gen-
eral Sharpe regarding responsibility
Tor the clothing shortage. arc to be
cleared up by reports OF cloth deliv-
cries which both are securing for the
committee. Each has placed tho re-
sponsibility oil the other
1t also was announced during the day
that the committee had asked Secre-
tary Bakcr for complete report as to
any clothing shortages in the training
camps on January l. Previous reports
have dealt with conditions as they ex-
listed some timo ago. and the commit
lee wants to know just what is the
situation at present.
Conclusion OF the entire army in
quiry late next week or during the fol.
lowing week is planned. Committee
members desire to close the hearings
quickly. make prompt report TO tho
Senate. and press Chairman Chamber
lain's bill to establish u department
or munitions and other legislation. In
quiry into the clothing situation, which
Will be resumed Monday, is to he fol-
lowed by investigation of cautonment
contracts and the aviation service, In
Guiding progress on the new Liberty
motor.