The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-01


possible time was also attacked in testi-
'aony taken by the investigating COM
.attee. the majority of the members of
which concluded that the cost plus sys-
tenn meant a delay OF ar least 80 per
cent. In time OF construction.
According to the report made 10 Con-
gress by the committee construction
work was not started until June ~, al
though war was declared April z. and
was not completed sor housing $4,000
men until December /. II the Goethals
plan had been adopted work could have
been started much earlier. the organiza-
ton of the Engineers Corps being ready
for immediate operations, as was tes-
titled by high ranking officers. The
latter could have accomplished the task.
according TO testimony. by August 10 at
half the cost.
Testimony showed also that the Gov
erment's supervision of the construction
work was in many instances highly
superficial and that IN at least one case
an employee OF a contractor was pro-
posed for a commission by his firm, the
same given him by the War Depart
rnent and he was assigned 10 super
vision of the construction of the can
Torment which his former employer was
building. He afterward returned to his
former employer with the contracting
firm.
Some instances are cited from the
riot of waste that was sworn TO. AT
Camp Sherman lumber was burned In
such quantities that the men who
burned 1t were compelled to lie on ire
ruently for the reo con that the rires
got so hot they were afraid OF burning
down the cantonment. or $1,000 600 rect
Of lumber used at that camp the test-
mony was that atN least l2,5oo,Wo Feet
were wasted.
At Camp Meade. Col. curry testified
that he employed his entire regiment OF
5000 men a week in carrying the waste
lumber off the drill ground. AT Camp
Sherman. roofing material was piled Ike
cordwood out In the sun and two-thirds
became absolutely useless for the reason
that 1t could not be unrolled. Tons OF
nails were hauled to the river and canal
and thrown away.
Many Useless Vehicles.
Automobiles were hired by the day in
voiced at less than $500. for which the
Government paid more than $500 each
as rental. The testimony showed 40
trucks and $50 teams on the payroll at
Camp Sherman with no Use FOR ESQ OF
the teams. Part of the time the excess
teams were kept hidden away in the
gravel pit. or ordered to drive around
the camp TO make IL appear they were
being used.
When work started upon the camps
there was an effort to get just as many
men as possible on the payrolls and
wages were fixed with little regard to
the workmen's experience or ability. II
was testified that out of gangs of TWEEN
a < ..t., II ytr1gr
journeymen carpenters there would not
be over three or four men VINO had ever
worked at that trade.
One witness testified that he had seer
plumbers spend half a day building 6
sunshade under which TO fix joint
that It would have taken two OF then
half an hour to put in, and another said
that he had seen three men have hold
OF an ordinary two foot eight Inch door
to put il on the hinges. In fact so many
men were on all jobs they were in one
another's way.
Representative McCulloch says a care
fui analysis of the testimony shows thai
work In all branches could have beer
done in less than half the time had the
! Government secured n days work fol
days wage and had the workmer
been classified according to their eff
cheney that il was common thing fol-
men to check in in the morning ano
leave Job, coming back at night &c
check out and receiving a full days
pay.
The finding Of the Investigating COM
mittee was that the decentralization OF
In Dor resulted from the general knowl-
edee among the worlSmen that the con-
tract was on a cost plus percentage
basis impression and the common talk
prevailing that the more spent and the
longer the work lasted the better II
suited the contractors who hired them.