Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-29

TINE action of the Senate in
providing funds to continue
the office of the director of
sales. but with a proviso that
in effect cuts down the pay Of the
director from $4,000 to $4,000 a
a year. may seriously hamper the dis
osal Of the surplus war stock of the
Var Department. 1t appears that soon
fter signing the armistice the de-
rartment found surplus material es-
t:mated to be worth a couple of bill
.ons Of dollars on its hands. and there
IT once arose the problem of dispos
!'les of sound economics. The first
iIea naturally enough was that the
War Department should obtain as
I1uch money as possible out of the
sale. in order to save for the govern
llent. Two objections presented
commodity are dumped at public sale.
ne market would not hold them and
rices would fall--to the loss of the
apartment and the ruin perhaps of
cealers in that commodity.
The great difficulty in the whole or
Fanization of the War Department
as been that there were too many
blacksmith" trying to make fine
watches: and it is certain that the
sale of $4,000. 100000 worth of mis-
-ellaneous surplus war material
should be in the hands of an expert.
Il ~ equally certain that such a man
annot be induced to take such a po-
sition in return for $1,000 a month.
y man may be found who will do II
Tor that amount of money. but he
might be dear at any price. One may
re found who will do 1t from patriot
nd ila ~
'furinG the period of hostilities. Such
man may be found even now; but
1t hardly seems fair to ask it.
The record Of the surplus sales up
to the present time has been such
that it's creation by Assistant Secre-
1t has arranged for the disposal of
surplus copper and other metals at
market rates without breaking the
market price.
It will have the disposal of all the
machinery and tools found by the
War Department to be surplus. Al
ready 1t has disposed of goods that
cost the government 1921 900. 900 for
xes2.3S5.00o. 1t has arranged for the
sale OF government surplus wool at
fair prices. All this work has been
done through the sales organization
which Mr.. Hare created and put to
work
Everybody knows that one reason
why MAI Gen. Goethals was success
full in reorganizing the supply de-
cured - almost Communicated = the
service of some Of the ablest civilians
in the country. and, having secured
them. put them upon work which they
knew.
It is not to be supposed that the
Senate measured the value Of a man
capable of handling such an under
taking as the preparation for sale
and selling to national advantage the
huge stock of material on hand Its
opposition appears to be to the princi-
pie Of paying high rates for expert
knowledge. What the outcome of
the course taken by Congress will be
10 dimcult to forecast; but however
sound In principle 1t can hardly be
called good business to pay a salary
utterly below the size of the position.
Some little adverse criticism has
been heard over the fact that sew
eral thou
transportation for sand war
War Workers Delayed. ,h ns,
At Brest. have been unable to find
passage back to the United States.
The condition 10 unfortunate; but the
fact 10 that several hundred thousand
men Of the Army in France are anx-
ious to come home. and. under the
law and the Army regulations, have
the preference over all others on
Army transports. Brig. Gen. Frank
q. Hines, director Of embarkation. has
underworld to secure space on west
ern-bound commercial liners for all
non.eombatant war workers. and
HSSA ~ s1aH ~
the Army transports such workers
have them. Under no conditions can
they have 4 II the space can be used
equally we'll for soldiers who are to
be brought back. The embarkation
service will not permit it. Its first
obligation 10 to the soldiers. and
every one else might as well recog-
nixe that fac%.
Incidentally. the embarkation serv-
ice will again keep up its record for the
nothing happens to prevent the SUP
ply q returning soldiers from run
ming short. The month of June will
see the promise made long since of
returning them for that month at
the rate OF 100000. made good. and
Last March oficers in France cabled
over to contradict the report then
given out that the service would bring
ever mon at what has proved to be
m astounding rate, on the ground that
such unreasonable promises could not
be FULFILLED and. therefore could not
be other than harmful. The director
Of embarkation. however. sent word
that he would provide the transpor-
tation. II the other side had the troops
ready, and month by month he has
slightly but materially exceeded his
early estimate.
During the present week the embar-
kation service has obtained the use
Of two great British frst-class pas
senger ships to be used in the trans
portation service As the number of
troops to- be returned 10 growing
smaller, ii was found that with officers
and others entitled to f1rst-class &C
commodatio the loads were becoming
unbalanced. and these vessels were
taken to restore equilibrium.
4
The provision offered in the Senate
''that the several organizations of the
war De-
Future Organization of partm ent,
Uncle Sans Army. $500.
regulations in force and effect Novem-
Der II, 1918, shall be continued until a
reorganization Of the Army 10 effected
by statutes Of Congress duly approx
ed" is one Of great moment to the
future Of the United States military
policy.
Although q suggestion of the need
of such a provision was given to the