Evening star., 1919-05-11
SELLING OFF STORES
LEFT OVER FROM WAR
Government Has Materials Worth Billion
and Half Dollars, for Which 1t
Must Find Market.

what the size of the Army vas to
be. The general staff figured at first
upon an Army of 100000 men.
Recently it began figuring on an
Army of 100000 men. 1t seems i'm
probable. however. that Congress will
provide for more than 100000 troops
after the peace has actually been
signed Then. too. the question arose
OF deterioration of materials and
the ability of improvements due
to new inventions and processes. as
tire goes on. All of these questions
make the problem which confronts
the director of sa.es and his corps
of assistants a difficult nut to crack.
The government has selected prac-
teal business men trained in buy
ing. selling and producing materials
to conduct this enormous business
for it. instead OF leaving it to West
Pointers whose forte is fighting and
not trading. The ingenuity of these
men is constantly being taxed to find
channels through which to unload
surplus materials.
Penny Banks From Hand Grenades
For instance. the War Department
had hundreds of thousands of hand
grenadeS on hand or under order
when war ended. Outside of blowing
boche to atoms. there is very little
conceivable use for hand grenade.
But one of Mr.. Hare's assistants con-
ceived the idea of removing the dan
gerous parts of the grenade. cltting
slit in them and putting them on
the narEe, as banks for children.
Already 50 es of thousands of these
little banks have been arranged for. IF
the hand grenades had been scrapped
and sold only for the material in them,
they would have brought on the av-
erase of ! cent each. But under the
plan devised they bring about "a or
25 cents each.
In seeking an outlet for its surplus
materials the government has an eye
OIL export trade, particularly with
ness with the foreign countries. how
ever, through private export and i'm
port concerns. rather than to have
the government go into the export
countries which were engaged in the
war their governments have too
large quantities of war munitions of
all kinds on hand. which must be dis
posed of to their citizens if possible.
that channel is blocked in many
instances.
Belgium May Get Machinery.
On the other hand. the Germans
have wrecked and stripped factories
in Belgium of machinery and tools.
The government of the United States
has very large quantities of such
tools on hand, and it may sell many
of them to the Belgians. though. If it
does so. the sales and credits prob
ably will be arranged through pri-
vate bankers in this country with the
Belgian concerns, for the sum set
aside by Congress to establish credits
for the allied nations is practically
exhausted.
While the vast bulk of surplus ma
terials now held by the government
was purchased by the War Depart
ment. the Navy Department also hss
millions of dollars worth If nat te
rector in the War Department is CO.
operating with the officials Of the
Navy Department in arranging for
the disposal of various kinds Of mu-
government which has control of sur
plus goods and structures which faust
eventually be disposed of is the
United States housing bureau. which
places in various parts of the coun-
try to house the workers in Inuni-
ton. shipbui1dinE and other plants.
These do not come under the sjQris-
the war Department. bus are being
by the housing bureau.
Among the stores whicn the War
Depa rtment had on hand were thou
Hare has been selling these animals
as rapidly as possible ut the various
remount depots and Army camps
through the camp quartermaster.
They are sold at auction Large auan-
titles of castor beans and castor oil.
property of the aircraft division, nave
been sold, too.
Use for Field Desks.
The director of sales has plans for
disposing of about 10000 Army field
int ka
use of Army officers serving in France.
These desks, of course, are very con-
y.nient for men who are constantly
on the move. Contractors. builders
and road makers, whose offices travel
with them. will find these Army field
desks great comfort, it is believed.
These desks are constructed OF WOOD,
reinforced on the outside with heavy
fiber. and are thirty inches long, twen-
ty-six inches high and fourteen fnches
wide.
Thousands of disabled typewriters
were on the hands of the War Depart
ment. The director of sales devised
plan whereby they could be used to
teach wounded and convalescent SOL
This is being done and the men are
apt pupils. The typewriters that are
repaired are turned over to the gov
ernment. Incidentally, the men learn
lucrative trade.
The director of sales receives many
requests from citizens to be allowed
to purchase this. that and the other
thing from the War Department. Re-
Gently he had a letter from the father
of an American doughboy who had
given his life to his country on the
fields of France. asking that the bugle
that had been his sons be sold to him.
Few Automobiles for Sale.
Many persons appear to be waiting
anxiously to purchase automobiles
from the War Department when it be-
gins to unload its surplus cars. AS a
matter of fact, Mr.. Hare is authority
for the statement that the Army will
have very few to sell, and practically
none that is new.
Mr.. Hare is dealing only with the
surplus materials in this country The
United States owns vast stores,
buildings and railroads and docks,
which it constructed in France, which
must be salvaged. There is a commits
sion abroad now endeavoring to dis
pose of these materials ADVANTAGEOUS
ly. 1t is said that the surplus stores
abroad exclusive of the railroads and
buildings. are valued at about $780,
100000.
While the director of sales has been
able to get about 30 per cent of their
original cost on the articles sold up
to the present. II is inconceivable that
ii Will be possible to maintain such
a nigh average throughout the sales
Ihe materials and manufactured ar
ticles were obtained during war times
and at wartime prices for material
and labor. 1t is probable that in many
cases. perhaps the majority, the gov
ernment will be lucky il il obtains SO
per cent on the original cost.