The Tomahawk., 1919-12-11
SALE OF MOTOR
CARS ORDERED
BY CONGRESS
Machines Worth $685. 600, 900
Now Idle and Exposed to
a.. Loss.
FIRST CHANCE TO STATES.
FIRST CHANCE TO STATES.
Sinclair Of North Dakota Prominent
In Pushing inquiry into Scrap
ping NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Didn't Want Them On
a4a Market. 5.&.l

Washington-By a vote of 266
to o, the house Of 4represe natives
j, has adopted res9iutipn calling
upon the war dep5ftment to pro.
coed to distribute all surplus mo.
tor trucks and passenger automo- I
biles to the states up to the limit
: Of allotment advised by the de- !.
partment of agriculture and to i'm q
mediateiy sell the remainder Of
these motor vehicles to the peo-
pie at public auction.
As this is the same method en-
pIoyed with brilliant success few
= months ago to compel the war de-
partment TO sell It's surplus food
I supplies to the people, there Is no
doubt that the motor vehicles will
now be saved from further de-
struction by exposure to the els
ments In the army camps, Whese
z more than $163; 300 worth Of !
machines have been held or de-
livered since the armisttee was
signed. - - TX. Il -. .-r...-
! Before the Judge advocate general
stopped the distribution OF army
trucks to the state highway depart
ments, about 8,4O0 machines had &C.
tually been turned over for use, but
many of the states most in need Of
this assistance in their road building
work had failed to get any. State En-
gineer Robinson of North Dakota took
the matter up with Congressman Sin
clair as to the delivery of 400 motor
trucks and extra tires and parts to
North Dakota. s.. "a, g:-
.S s--, Protecting Market.
/. Inquiry at the war department re.
Nealed that the men in direct control
of the motor vehicles and supplies did
not want to see the, regular automobile
and truck market injured. 1t appears
that these motor vehicles were kept
out of use and of the auction block
in order to save the automobile manu-
facturers.
The last statement obtained by the
committee Investigating war expendi
lures was that 108, 900 machines OF
various kinds were on hand.
General Drake told the committee
that the automobiles should have been
sold Immediately after the armistice
in order that the cash might go into
the federal treasury to cut down the
burden OF the war debt. An expert
who visited Camp Holabird near
Baltimore notified the committee that
"What surprised me most was to see
thousands and thousands OF fne new
trucks OF the bes, make stand
ing all over sthe field or boxed
for shipment, and nothing apparently
being done to make them useful tc
anyone It is nothing less than q crime
to have millions Of dollars worth ol
good material like this simply wasting
away" T.
Auctions to BE Held.
Representative McGregor Of New
York, a member of the committee
limited at one of. the possible reasons
for inaction by the department when
he said hat 25,GOO civilian employees
in the motor corps are taking care
of these rusting vehicles, ,-an item oi
something like 500, 900 a day for thei1
wages alone.
The house acted and now the wal
department will begin shipping the
motor trucks ands extra parts to the
highway departments OF all the states
At the same time, the director of sales
will schedule series Of auctions oi
surplus machines, to be held at army
camps and cantonments from coas'
to coast, wherever the surplus ma
chimes are stored.