The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1920-06-17

horses. 1t is difficult TO comprehend
/ in the face of these facts. how Off
Gals of the administration in powe
expected 1OOOOOOOO people in civil
/. life to procure the necessary Leather
for shoes
AS above stated the war depart
ment owned during the war S91, OO(
horses and mules. 1t was decided
that these horses and mules must be
branded The testimony taken by the
committee shows that in September
1918 a representative of the war de-
partment entered into contract with
Henry Moss & Co, of New York. for
$4,000 branding irons. This was one
branding iron for every two horses in
the army. The contract required that
these irons should be made of copper
which was both scarce and expensive.
A Transaction in Copper.
The contractor purchased 1882
pounds of copper. which was 10000
: pounds more than needed to make
the irons and officials of the company
stated that they paid S91a cents per
pound therefor. The war department
paid the company 39ia cents per
pound for all this copper and then
Immediately sold it back to the COM
pany for IL cents per pound. We won
the war without branding the horses
and mules because no branding irons
had been delivered at the time the
armistice was signed. But the rec
ords of the war department show
that officials of this administration
compromised the claim of this com
pany by paying them $4,000
Fireless Cookers and Such.
The testimony taken by the COM
mittee shows that in August 1918.
the war department entered into
contract with Stein Burn Camp and
Field Equipment company. of Chica-
go, for the manufacture of freless
cookers. bread boxes and cooks
chests The company bought a large
amount of black steel sheets and tin
plates, which it had when the armis-
tice was signed. The expert testi-
mony showed that this material was
worth 80 per cent of its
tOSl PRICE, YET Lllt testimony SnOWS
that representatives of the war de-
partment in the settlement of this
claim. allowed the COM
pany cost price for the material and
sold it back as scrap iron. The tes-
further shows that this COM
pany delivered to the war depart
ment sc fireless cookers, % cooks
chests and Z bread boxes and the rec /
ords of the war department show
that these SO kitchen utensils cost |
this government a sum total of SILL
6S7O6 which sum the representatives /
Of this administration paid out of
the treasury of the United States.
A Corrugated "SteaI."
The testimony further shows that !
in October, 1918, the war department |
placed an order with the Briar-Hill |
steel company of Youngstown. Ohio, /
FOR 10000 sheets of corrugated steel |
roofing a character of steel roofing |
which the contractor ordinarily used |
n its business. None of this roofing |
lad been delivered to the govern
nent when the armistice was signed. |
The contract was cancelled, and the
contractor made a claim for loss of
Profits, and the records of the war
department show that the officers OF
his administration compromised the
,laim for s164,5l9.6S, which sum they
,aid out of the treasury of the United
states.
A Shocking Transaction.
The testimony taken by the COM
nittee shows that the war depart
nent entered into a contract with the
standard Steel Car company of Ham
nond, Ind, for the construction of
"a 91a inch howitzer carriages. The s
var department agreed to pay for the
ost of buildings, material and ma
hinery and the company was to be /
aid a commission upon the total cost {
f such carriages to the government. :
The government paid for the build +
lgs which were erected upon the {
grounds and which cost
3 9S7, 200 and after the armistice was
igned the war department sold these {
back to the company for t
500 OOO
The testimony shows that at the =
me the armistice was signed this
ompany had on hand material for t
hitch the government had paid S., 7
5S,OOO and the testimony further 7
hows that representatives, of the ad-
Illustration sold this material back to :
ne company as junk for the sum of n
100000, and that too. in the face Of
ne fact that arsenals of the United
tates were clamoring for material of
lis same character.
The testimony further shows that
OF a single howitzer carriage had
cen delivered to the government
rior to the signing of the armistice,
ut that after the armistice was sign
I the ordnance department had the
Dmpany finish 200 of these carriages
nd that these 200 carriages cost the
overnment the sum of $1S,5S2.42S.SS,
hich sum representatives of this ad