El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-12-30

TrcIE SAM Temporarily turning merchant viii soon De
u ting on the biggest sale seen IN this country
rrsl h les thought and acts wisely he viii play havoc
ft hundreds perhaps thousands, OF his nepneVs VINO
also are merchants
The - If reconstruction involves the problem Of the
disposal Of vast store Ct military supplies Ons 81
~ ist stocked Up with goods when the war enoea
-. et for his merchandise stopped and ne was laea
h tie necessity Of unloading. he has not YET
Tie sale szve Of 5000 horses and mules II Ie1a
bit he vii soon do So
II s difficult to overestmate the importance OF this
--,,sinr especially if consider it from its Tarlous
ncies IN its conduct involved vast sums nen nay p
80 for the public treasury Then there vii be the d.
srsou Of material into peaceful channels and last tne
effect upin prices
As IL other sales on a downward market, Uncle sam
fsr5. 10 lose lot OF money when he sells his War ma
i.s but Il Is best to convert the materials into casn
and put the money into the treasury to be drawn OUT ana
I'D for the multitude Of purposes for which Il WI es
aupr0o-ated That many Of the Materials ~nen soo WI
nj Sug What the government paid for them may De taken
for Granted That is one Of the fortunes Of war.
he inventory value Of our surplus military supPnes
ms into billions Much Of It, possibly most Of IL Is SUI
zhs far the needs peace If this vast quantity OF ma
srs should be dumped suddenly upon the Markell business
RECONCILIATION would be felt throughout the entire country
Government offerings would compete with sales IN almost
every Ius Of business The avoidance Of disturbance OF
iris character should be Of the chief points 10 be
kept IN mind IN the liquidation Of our var suppnss
Fvervthing VIII not be sold, Of COURSE Artillery ma
ssne ems rifles and ammunition Of al eahDers can De
stared and used needed We shall not soon De so oeo-
l shor Of everything Of defensive nature as We were
- ~. EFsrear trouble started Uniforms and shoes,
- and undercothng IN the hands Of the quarter
sts department. VIII be needed by the troops IN europe
and those n the United States. They have way OF wear
ing out clothes A., -
ut trench warfare thing Of the past and the gov
e-uusut VII have some 100000 rubber boots TO sen
Think what the dumping Of these boots on the market Al
che tine would the rubber boot manufacturers ana
70 the trade generally -.
40 or men probably VIII need the millions OF
ards Of wooden cotton cloth not yet made up INTO
uniforms -. :.
In addition 10 the personal equipment Of the troops
tho sS amount Of material suitable for industry ms
inu5es everything from ten penny nails to trucks ana
loro-otires There is amount Of construction ma
ers eude and half finished products. The supply Of
metal includes steel copper lead and other metals Ea
endituse has gone office equipment 1or bureaus ana
brzncaes n Washington and elsewhere
The surplus supply Of Liberty motors IS placed az 1u
and their cost the government IS approximately s1O
o0aoo0 However there understanding that me posi-
offoe department VIII take many, not most OF these
and use them IN mail carrying arplanes Inc reserve
u. Of amy saddles Is said to be about 100000 L re
nsrs TO be determined whether most OF these VII &c
tbro=u on the market OF stored for future use
one g-sst item Is government factories Heavy outlay
rad been made construction Of plants which were II
rous stages Of completion when the signing OF the arms
ire put a halt to al plans As result there ar
eros half built plants for the manufacture OF nrates
c aid phosphorus suphure acid and other products
aud thousands cottages and bungalows have been bun
for ahore1s and oheT forces These VIII be up or SAFE
ne task Of selling all these things IS Of the frs
aeuitude It calls for the establishment Of bureau Z
carry il through and the bureaus personnel should
chosen from among the abest business administrators
The country and the chief Of the bureau should be he
accountable Tor the able administration Of the sale d
sould then study his market and that Of the country gen
eay and should make the business Of the bureau no