The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1920-05-13

of the cantonment project. Experts
form General Cocktails down testified
that the cost-plus system was over
generous to the contractor and not
generous enough to the Government.
Defenders of the system admitted
this was true, but said an emergency
existed and things had to be &C
complished quickly. 1t had come to a
choice between lives and dollars, so
contractors were put on their patri-
otism not to take advantage of the
Governments forced liberality.
Very we'll; then this is one in
stance where war was a matter OF
dollars and cents, where the patriot
ism of the man who served by work
ing got hearty financial slap on the
back from the Government.
But do not imagine that the con-
tractor was the only worker who was
safeguarded lest his patriotic i'm
pulses do him financial harm. The
man who figured a drift ticket
passed to a world where cash ceased
to get in his way; the man who
figured time ticket went to happy
hunting ground where money leaped
and gambolled and came to his beck
and call.
The government was careful to see
that cantonment workers were ade-
quately compensated, and the high
est wage scales prevailed. A man did
not have to know much about car
,,nntnrtrar ctr Efftnps 70 fFaf a
job, and once on the job, he stood
about as much chance of being dis
charged as the man in olive drab
who was single and had no Deepen
dents. Bosses were solicitous lest he
work too hard. Get in the clear"
was the frequnt order, meaning
"Seem to be doing something even
if there is nothing to do" A number
of witnesses testified at hearings
that they were instructed to take it
easy. These witnesses were con-
scientious men. Imagine how the
natural-born lazy swallowed a sug-
gestion like that "get in the clear"
order.
Here again, war was a matter of
dollars and cents. The Governemnt
went on the assumption that workers
in these essential war projects were
patriotic. But the Government did
not assume that their patriotism was
its own reward. The Government
saw to it that the financial interests
of the workers were well safe
guarded.
CantOnments and the building
thereof were only one phrase of
great war machinery. An
other was the spruce project. You
know the Government undertook the
supervision of the production of
spruce for airplanes. A Spruce
army" of about $4,000 men was built
up. At Army wages? Hardly.
These men received from $3.50 to
SO daily, worked eight-hour shifts
and had fair living conditions.
In the spruce service it was no un-
common thing to award large cost
plus contracts. Three of these ag-
gregated $39,000,000.
Then there was the War Finance
Corporation, which was created by
act of Congress approved April 5,
1918. Its duties were to lend the
Government financial aid wherever
needed,to act as the balancing force
in nation thrown out of balance by
the war. Its field was broad, cover
ing banks, building and loan associa-
tions, public utilities, railroads, cat
tie and crops, among other things.
The corporation helped electric roads
in distress, aided banks in taking is
sues of Liberty bonds, tided cattle
raisers over dry seasons.
The last annual report of the man.
aging director of the War Finance