The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1920-06-18
War Unscrambling Almost Fin
ished, Technical Committee
viii Be Dissolved.
FROM POWER TO CASTOR OIL

incidentally the Committee Adjusted
the Great Kansas Rabbit Meat
Claim Along With Some 200,.
900 Others.
Washington.-Aft assisting in say
ing the country several millions of dol
lars through adjusting more than 24,-
600 war contracts which were abrupt
ly terminated by the armistice, the
technical advisory committee of the
war claims hoard of the war depart
ment is about to be dissolved, accord
ing to Campbell Scott, who organized
the committee under the direction CT
Benedict Crowell, assistant secretary
Of war and director of munitions. The
committee, which was composed of eX-
perts in practically every branch of
engineering and manufacturing, was
organized to meet the critical situa-
ton which developed as soon as the
war claims board attempted to settle
the 10000 contracts in existence at the
close of the war.
The greater number Of these CON
tracts involved questions of highly
technical nature, and it was to settle
these that the technical committee was
organized. Many of the contracts in
volved had been let on q basis of the
war lasting four or five years more !;
fn1.sfYy IN.,1 x,ln
during the last six months of the coll
fiict. An idea of their scope is oh
tanned when it is understood that there
were more than 10000 contractors
who, in turn, had let sub-contracts to
more than 100000 others. In fact, 10
have finished the, war contracts for
munitions and supplies of every con-
ceivable nature which were in exist
ence on Armistice day would have
meant the tying up of practically So
per cent of the manufacturing re-
sources of this country.
An outstanding feature of the great
work of the Investigations which were
completed by the technical committee
Is the fact, contrary to general belief.
more than 90 per cent of the contrac-
tors were found to be scrupulous,y
honest in their dealings with Uncle
Sam.
I'VE found that the great majority
of the contractors" said Chairman
Scott yesterday had undertaken their
work with the prime idea of assisting
their country in a time of peril. While
| they did not forget that business is
business, many Of them might have
made much more money than they did.
OF course, it is true that the small
minority took the viewpoint that the
government had made the war and
therefore should be made to pay for it.
| but when it came to adjusting Their
| claims even these were found to be
| fair and reasonable. indicative of the
| good spirit which prevailed. Only %
out of $4,000 contractors have ap-
| pealed to the court of claims from
the awards made to them. This
! shows the panstaking work done by
the technical committee of the war
claims board"
Claims Big and Little.
Some of the claims adjusted were
| distinctly of an extraordinary nature
| They ranged from the adjustment ol
the great power contracts in the Pitts
| burgh district, which involved 1900
100000 horse power, To the re-arrange.
ment of the rabbit meat industry
which had sprung up in Kansas. In.
! cidentally, the castor oil contracts
the oil to be used for Liberty motors
have come up before the technica,
committee. The fact that the entirs
amount Of more than $1,000 900 0Of
worth of war contracts was settled al
IL per cent of their total face value
shows that real Americanism pervades
the industries Of this country.
1T is the biggest job of arbitration
the world has ever known" is tbs
way in which Il prominent member o.
! The administration characterized tn.
work of ''unscrambling the war"
One of the most highly technica
! contracts. and one which required
deep investigation, was that affecting
| the power supply of the Pittsburgh
district. This district, the chief prod
ucts Of which were munitions ant
/ steel of every kind, was practically
tied up in government work during til,
last year of the war. Additions wer.
builr to plants, thousands of new en-.
pIoyees were added and as soon a,