The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1919-02-04
WANTON WASTE OF 1918 BURNING
4 NATIONAL ISSUE

NATIONAL ISSUE
When the armistice ending the world
war was signed, North Carolina had
three completed army environments, up
on each of which approximately five mil
lion dollars had been expended. The i'm
provements included complete water,
sewage and lighting systems, many per-
manent buildings, paved streets and i'm
proved highways.
These three camps are now about TO be
"salvaged" with probable return to the
government of one million dollars OF the
fifteen million expended, WHILE FIF-
TEEN MILLIONS MORE ARE TO BE
(. SPENT ON THE NEW CAMP AT FAY
ETTEVILLE, N. c., constructing there
just such improvements on hundred
thousand acre site, as are to be destroy
ed at the three other North Carolina
camps-Camp Sewer, at Greenville,
Camp Greene, at Charlotte and Camp
Wadsworth at Spartansburg.
The answer made by the War Depart
ment to complaints concerning this out
rageous waste is that it is really econom-
izing, because it was originally intended
to spend Thirty million dollars at Palette
vile, and now only fifteen millions will
he spent-a net saving of fifteen millions.
This permanent camp is being built at
Fayetteville, in violation of the express
ed will of Congress, at time when adj
ministration partisans are p,oclaiming
that President Wilson expects to end the
necessity of war preparations at the Par
is peace table! The Senate Military At
fairs committee, aftoc hearing, refus-
ed to appropriate money for the purchase
of the cantonment site at Fayetteville,
depressing preference for the lease of
the tract. After the Senate had rejected
the proposal of purchase the War de-
partment proceeded to buy hundred
thousand acre tract anyway. This site
is almost entirely waste land. Only sew
en- pa cent of it is under cultivation.
Much of it has been game preserve.
Most of it is said to haye been bought by
the owners from whom the government
is acquiring it, at one dollar an acre. The
average price being paid by the War De-
partment is said by North Carolina pa
pers to be ten dollars an acre. Upon this
million dollar site, marked up from some
thing like hundred thousand dollars,
two and half million dollars in perman-
ent roadways are being built. The con-
t'act for these roads was let after the
armistice was signed.
Some of these days the whole truth
will come out as to the procedure in con-
nection with the construction Of these
environments. Those in North Carolina
are said to have cost under the cost plus
system, fully twice the amount that
would have been necessary under a sys-
tenn Of direct government construction or
competitive bids. 1t is rather remark
able ftct that while the administration
has been demanding the right to operate
direct he railways, telephone and tele-
graph lines and other industries, it re-
fused to build direct, through the utili-
cation Of its trained army experts, the
military camps and other great construc-
ton projects undertaken in its own be-
half. The explanation seems to be that
in both instances the methods adopted
meant the highest possible degree of that
extravaganza and waste for which the
present national administration has be-
come notorious.
North Carolina, is of course, not the
only state iii which such extravaganza
and waste has been carried on at time
when the people generally were making