New-York tribune., 1918-01-02
Defence Council Blamed by
Sharpe in ''Shoddy" Cloth
Investigation
Eiseman To Be Called
Rejection of Big Wool Con-
tract To Be Looked
Into by Senate
TStaf Correspondence

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.-The probe
of the quartermaster's department. by
the Senate Military Affairs Committee
promises to develop tomorrow, when
the hearings will be resumed, into
wrangle between General Sharpe's or
ganization and the supply division of
the Council of National Defence, over
which julius Rosenwald presides.
General Sharpe has blamed the coun-
Gil committee for uniform shortages,
charging that it failed to provide cloth
on schedule. He has further raised
what seems to be the groundwork Of
large scale scandal in his testimony
regarding the base sorting plant organ
lied by the supply committee to con-
troll the rag market.
To the charge that the supply COM
mittee failed to provide on schedule
Assistant Chief Eiseman, Of the sup
ply committee, who will be the first
witness to morrow, is prepared to show
by charts and figures that at no time
since his organization took charge of
the uniform cloth situation has the
quantity production been in arrears of
schedule The failure, if there has been
a failure, Mr.. Eiseman is prepared to
testify, lies with the quartermaster's s
department, which has had charge Of
converting the cloth into uniforms.
Wool Rejection Under Fire
The rejection of the Boston wool
trades offer of more thap 59,ooo,ooo
pounds of the best wool at The prevail
Nf nj vii al
be laid at the door of Quartermasrer
General Sharpe's organization. 1t will
be pointed out that the supply division
of the council did not take over its
supervisory duties over cloth contracts
until after April 80, when confidential
memorandum attested by the Secretary
Of War and concurrcd in by Quarter
master General Sharpe, directed the
Rosenwald committee to undertake its
work.
The rejection of the Boston WOO
offer will be further attributed to the
quartermaster's department by show
ing the committee letter received By
the general munitions board from on'
Of General Sharpe's assistants, advs
ing the council organization that tn
Boston wool offer had been rejected be
cause the War Department already ha'
plenty Of available wool.
By the introduction of this evidence
an attempt will be made to break dow
the developing case against the sup
ply committee, whereby certain mem
bers Of the Senate committee have EN-
deavored to show that the Eiseman or
ganization rejected the Boston WOO
offer in order to create an artifcia
wool shortage which made possibl
later introduction Of shoddy into arm
uniforms.
Benson To Be Called
Admiral Benson, chief of naval op
erations, will be the first witness t.
appear before the House inquiry int
the navy's war preparations when hear
ings are resumed Thursday before tn
naval subcommittee.
Chairman Oliver, of Alabama, VIII
heads the subcommittee, has con
ferred informally with Admiral Benson
and arranged for him to make state
ment in executive session. Other nav
bureau chiefs are expected to testif,
as far as their Offices are concerned
and the navy's aviation programm
will be given special consideration.
The Investigation probably will b
completed in two weeks, Chairman
Oliver said