The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1919-04-08
BY NEWTON o. BAKER,
Secretary OF War.

WhCH uaLc dlLulSllCc WdS SlBIIeu On
the 18th Of November there were out
standing some seven billions of dollars
Of contracts in the War Department.
The signing of the armistice made it,
of course, obvious that a very large
part of the war material thus under
contract would not be needed, and the
first question which the war depart
ment had to face was that of the can
collation. of those contracts.
1t was clear that If we simply took
a knife and cut off all the manufacture.
ing facilities that were engaged in
work for the War Department, sharply
on the 18th day of November, we
would close factories in every state
and city Of the Union, which would
throw thousands OF workmen out OF
employment; and, therefore, that il
was imperative that reasonable time
he provided for those Industries to re
organize themselves on a peace basis
Therefore, a plan was devised by
which, as the first step, we cut off
overtime employment SO as to reduce
production without producing disor-
ganization. The next step was to view
this vast mass of contracts in an eff
fort to find out how far the military
necessities Of the country would per
nit them to be reduced and how rapid
ly they might be reduced.
We have so far suspended opera
ton upon contracts which would have
cost five billion eight hundred and
twenty-nine millions of dollars TO com
plete; so that in the matter of saving,
the War Department has suspended
operations under contracts or has de
termined TO cancel contracts which.
in net effect, covered production to
the extent of $500. OOO.OOO of war
materials.
That does not mean, of course, that
that entire sum will be saved. II is
involved in something over $4,000 sep
arate contracts, and of those contracts
we have already settled 1000, effecting
saving TO the Government on the
1900 already settled of Sl5l, 600. 600,
while paying to the contractors. who
still had some equity in the matter
of new facilities created or materials
in process Of manufacture. the sum OF
$29,000,000
The hope Of the War Department
Is that, without disorganizing industry,
without turning workers into the
street, without congesting the labor
market. and thereby disorganizing the
industrial situation, we will be able
to save very large part of This total
of nearly S6000,000,O0O involved In
contracts for the production of war
materials.
Obviously. with $4,000 contracts to
read1ust or cancel, either in whole or
In part, it would have taken more
than a lifetime, if we had undertaken
by some central bureau here in Wash
ingtOn to review each contract separ
ately and make a special determine.
ton about it.
So. instead of that, district boards
have been established all through the
country in the various bureaus of the
War Department dealing with war sup
plies. so that a manufacturer in any
city, whether Of ordnance or quarter
master material does not have to come
to Washington for adjustment of his
contract. He goes to the local dis
trict board
# he and the district board can
au 10 oA Il,
tinn or modification of the contract
that agreement is written In the form
Of recommendation and sent dowr
to Washington for the Board 0i
Claims. and is here passed upon by the
Board of Claims of the hurean OF iii
vision of Ordnance, Quariermaster
Signal Corps, or whatever It may be
Now, if they cannot agree there is an |
other agency set up in Washington |
known as the Board of Contract Al |
iustment, composed of three eminent
men. So the contractor does not have
to take the Judgment of the local dis
triet board, hut he can lay his matter,
before II disinterested tribunal here il
Washington. OF course, he does nol
have to accept the decision of tho
Board of Contract Adjustment If he
prefers he can go to the Court OFT
Claims and start litigation which is
however, always unfortunate, becans
OF the legnth Of time it takes; but THAI
remedy Is not closed to him.
We have had this thought In mimi
from the beginning, that the most i'm
portant thing the War Department
could do, so far as Sdustry and com
merce are coscerned, is to bring abou
Q speedy adjustment of these claims
In order that the people of this country
who are engaged Up industry and com
merce may know exactly what they
can expect in the way of payment
from the Government, just how mucn
they can rely upon in opening up their
new business or reorganized business
and to speedily set about doing 1t.
Ones Own Interests.
The woman no longer young who Is
earning her livelihood should make II
point to save certain portion of
Ter salary weekly, no matter how small