The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-12-24
PUBLIC MONEY
THROWN AWAY
Senate Committee Makes Re-
port Of Investigation

Washington. Dee. @1S.-3nef ficiency
carelessness and disregard of the
provisions of the act under which i
operated were charged AGAINST the
United States Housing corporation by
the senate public buildings and
grounds Investigating subcommittee
today IN a. report reeomn1 n1ending that
steps be taken to recover many thou
sands OF dollars alleged by the sub
committee to have been expended inn
properly by the corporation.
1Iisnaanagen1e by the corporation,
the report as submitted to the senate
charged, resulted in itssfailure to have
ready for, occupancy single build
ing until almost two months after the
arrn1stice was signed, or eight months
after. the passage Of the appropriation
act
Although citing specific expendi-
tures sufficiently grave. to warrant the
governnaeYt in entering civil suits for
restitution, the report expresses. the
opinion. that IN most Of these cases
the: persons who prohted viii restore
voluntarily the alleged unearned mon
ey. es;,-
Other recommendations made by
the subcommittee. provide that ar
chitects who, it is charged, We're paid
excessively, for overhead expenses,
be called upon TO give the COMMITTEES
an exact statement Of anount OF their
overhead expenditures, These en-
ployess. of the corporation, the COM
mittee believes, were not parties to
intentional violation Of the law and
s'if they are actuated by the patriotic
principles attributed to them they
viii refund the sums paid them in ex-
cess Of the exact cost of the over
head" The amount the committee
considers recoverable from this source
is placed at $50,0e0.
Civil suit to recover $4,000 spent
subletting Of labor by a contracting
firm, also was recommended by the
committee in. the event of a, failure to
return the money voluntarily. The
extras were charged as incident to
the construction OF the dormiteries in
Washington for women war workers,
in connection with: which, it was al
legged original estimates were radical
ly. altered indicating a. willingness TO
substitute the contractors demands
for, the estimating divisions: judg-
rnent:,,
Regularity OF a loan for 100000
made to tho Springfield Consolidated
Water company OF Philadelphia. also
was questioned in the committee's re-
port together, with. other loans TO
railroads, street railways and utility
companies, =. .4zs.....,
The latter concerns were not iden-
titled. Scrutinization Of. the loans by
the treasury department N:as recon-
mended with demand for additional
security, where inadequate collateral
had been provided.
Charges Of inefficiency and bad
management were more prominent in
it's report than references to over
payment, while attention is called to
the denials of the officials Of the cor
poration that they intended to let con-
tracts for more than the appropria-
ton act provided, the report declares
the officials had planned, according TO
the records secured by thc. commit
tee. the expenditure Of sl45,175.504,
although the amount of the appro-
priation was $l00, 100000.
Practically all buildings erected by
the corporation were of a permanent
character, the committee reported,
Notwithstanding the provision that
they be Of a temporary character.
The failure Of the corporation to pro-
duce a completed house until the first
Of the present year: was pointed TO
by the committee as indicative of