Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1919-07-26

kclaims were presented. Field forces lwere organized to work in connection lwith the Department in Washington. The country was divided into twelve
 districts. So rapid was the progress
 that 579 settlements were made by
 May 31, and the final settlement was negotiated on June 25.
 \ There were many dark days for the
 colleges when they were not only
 faced with the suspension of pay
 ments under the Government con ktracts, but when it also looked as
 though they might lose their students. NBut the proverb that "all is we'll that
 ends well' is again verified, since the | Government has made it's adjustments Nin prompt manner, and the records
 of the Department show that the
 average return of students as civil ians is 69 per cent.
 The report says:
 "Fourty-four institutions had already
 received through the routine pay kments under their original contracts Null reimbursement for their costs and
 accordingly signed cancellation agree
 ments and releases for the normal
 consideration of one dollar.
 Eight institutions had received pay
 rnent under their original contracts in
 excess of their actual costs, and re-
 turned to the Government their re- kspective surpluses, amounting in the ksggregate to $84,729.93.
 "The amounts paid in settlement of the balance of the contracts varied
 from less than $1,00O in some cases >to more than $200,000 in others, de- pending of course in each case largely on the size of the unit and the amount
 of extra construction and other extra ordinary expenses" \
 The summary of all settlements is
 given as follows:
 Number of original contracts, 686: gross amount paid in settlement, $9,- S95 5.124.57; average settlement per s14,424.38; average settle ment per contract man, $43.20."
 This vast undertaking of the Gov ernment was closed, as the result of efficient administration, at a cost for checking and verifying the claims and negotiating the settlements at approx ,imately $169 per contract" Consider ing the vast amount involved, and the computing of the training of men, the sum appears to be. very small. The average shows that the men received 82 days of training.
 There was paid out under the orig ,inal contracts. before the period of of agreements, $14,956,- .474.22.
 The response of the institutions of higher education throughout the coun- try to the Governments call in 1918. was as magnificent as it was inspir- ing" reads the report, which com ments on the foregoing statement as follows:
 "Without reservation they placed their facilities and their services in the hands of the Government without hesitation and without thought of profit or reward. They accepted the contracts which the Committee on Education and Special Training placed before them and relied upon the as- surance that they would be justly treated, and that sooner or later all adjusted. They seemed to be actuat- ed solely by desire to serve and CO., operate with the plans of the War continued through the period of ad- lustment and settlement. Tn only a Few rare instances has there been any apparent desire to profiteer or to re- ,eive from the Government anything more than actual costs. They have readily accepted the Departments in- depreciation of how such costs should be determined and what expenses should be allowed under such costs. Had it not been for this hearty co. 1daav baeemeoesad mfw hrd rtlf dllb operation on the part of the institu- ions the work of making the settle nents would have been long drawn 'ut. and this Department wishes to ;ake this opportunity to publicly ac- .nowledge and express it's apprecia- ion of the patriotic and fair-ninded attitude and cooperation of the edu- 'ational institutions of the country which have contributed so largely to he successful completion of the work If the Department.
 "1t is perhaps proper to state at his point that the Department has eceived letters and other expressions rom several hundred of the contract $ ng institutions to the effect that the institutions feel that in making these ' ettlements they have been justly and , onsiderately treated by the War De- 'artment."
 NOTICE OF HEARING PETITION \, rrYr, oxx~x -