The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-07-24
BANNERS CAUSED F00DSTUFFS HELD
 OUT OF MARKET
Quartermaster Gen. Rogers Says Agreement Tied
 His Hands.
200, ,OOO, 1000 GAN
 SURPLUS ON FEB. II
National Gamers Associa tion Responsible for Non
 Sale of Goods.

Washington, July G.---Quarternas- ter General Harry l.. Rogers made tho fiat statement before a. congress sional committee Monday that pres sure brought on the War Department by the National Gamers Association was responsible for the decision to withhold from the domestic market S2S COG, 900 worth of canned vegetables no longer needed by the army.
 On his return from France February II he had nmediately taken up the matter of disposing of the 200, ,O00, 900 cans surplus, General Rogers told the committee investigating the Quarter master Corps. but he found his hands tied by agreement made by Acting Quartermaster General R F. Wood and a civilian official of the Quarter masters Department, R. J. Tnorne, president of the Montgomery Ward Company of Chicago, with the can- ners.
 There is no question that If my original intention had been followed cut these vegetables would have gone to the American people early in the year," General Rogers said.
 Cross examined by Representative Reayis, the Quartermaster General said that he was unable to give any satisfactory explanation of why there had been no surplus of canned goods declared until eight months after the signing of the arn1istice.
 He said he never had been able to get hold of a copy' of the order Gen. eral March told the committee he had Issued on November 30, calling for the declaration of 0 surplus.
 General Rogers said 1t would have been perfectly safe to proceed with eales of army foodstuffs soon afer. the signing of the armistice. The delay was due in part to Inexperienced of ficers of his department "who don't know one class of canned goods from another" to insufficient clerical help and to the confusion at army ware houses, where conditions are such that no officer knows what they con- tain beyond the fact that 1t Is mil lions of pounds of foodstuffs of one kind or another"
 When Director of Sales Hare and Colonel A. M. Davis appeared before the committee they placed responsi- oility for the failure to declare a sur plus on General March. General March, on the other hand said the blame must be placed on the Quarter masters Department.
 General Rogers described the plan AloSI w IllCll lIle w III 1eparIInenC had finally decided to sell surplus food to municipalities Representa- tive Reavis pointed out that 90 per cent. of all cities would be prevented under their charters from partici- pattng in the War Department of fer.
 If you did not want to sell your food stocks a pretty good way to achieve that without attracting much attention would be to offer them for sale only to those who could not buy then," he suggested
 Gan you tell me- Representative Reavis questioned, why the War De partment could not seM its surplus foods to public spirited associations anxious to relieve distress by bring ing down the cost of living?''
 Any answer Of mine to that ques- ton would be a reflection on a eu- perior officer" General Rogers pro- tested.
 General Rogers said he had no knowledge of the agreement between the temporary heads of his depart ment. General Wood and MT. Thorne, and the National Gamers Association when he returned to the United States from Europe.
 Shortly after my return he said, T learned that from 25 to 50 car loads of canned vegetables for the army were sidetracked near St. Louis with no storage room available for them. Demurrage charges were pill ing up and I gave instructions for their sale on short advertisement
 Following the appearance of the advertisements, General Rogers con- tinued, Frank Gerber, president and Frank Correll, secretary. of the Ma tional CannerS Association, wrote him letters requesting a conference. At this time he was shown for the first time the agreement that had been made with the canners.
 That letter from General Wood to MT. Gerber, dated December s, 1918, imm ediately stopped the sale of sur- plus vegetables. Mir. Thorne assured me that the letter of General Wood