Evening star., 1920-02-08
WHOLESALE GRAFT
AND GREAT WASTE
WITNESS CHARGES
Criminal Negligence at Mus
Gle Shoals and Powder Plant
at Nashville Alleged.

at Nashville Alleged.
Charges of wholesale incompetence,
waste. criminal negligence and graft
in connection with the construction
and operation of two government war
plants-the air nitrate plant at Mus
Gle Shoals, Ala, and the Old Hickory
powder plant at Nashville. Tenn, were
placed before the special House COM
mittee investigating war expenditures
by Mark H. Evans of Arcadia, Calf,
formerly Of the military intelligence
service.
Dumping a hamper full of type
written reports and other data on the
table before the committee, Mr.. Evans
gave a graphic report OF conditions
as he had observed and reported to
Washington and to local representa-
| tiveS of the Department of Justice
until he was called off.
He said he had seA to Washington
129 affidavits supporting his charges
! regarding the conditions as he saw
| teen months he was detailed there on
special government service. but had
not been able to ascertain that any
body had been hailed into court.
Cnrs Idle When Most Needed.
While cry was going up from all
quarters for cars to move munitions
and foodstuffs, 1923 cars stood idle
| at the plant from ten to twenty days,
| he said, with nobody seeming to care
| whether they were unloaded. De-
murrage charges ranged from 50 to
$500, and records showed, the wit
ness declared, that failure to unload
| material cost the government $4,000
during the first six months of 1918.
There was absolutely no reason for
keeping the cars standing there.
Evans said. 1T was criminal negli-
gence on the part of the contractors"
Many Surplus Saddle Horses.
! Evans said fully 300 saddle horses
! were kept in readiness for service at
the plant when there was no demand
| for them. The old system of trying
to make two blades of grass grow
where one had grown before was re-
versed in the case of mules. according
to Evans, for at this plant six were
hitched up to haul a load hardly big
! enough for two and anybody who
wanted horse or an automobile got
one.
trucks were used to haul employees
back and forth from the plant" Evans
said. No effort was made to have
| this traffic handled by the street rail-
way people, and the purpose was
| plain. The builders wanted to buy
Gil Lie equipment tHcy COulQ because
| on every dollar spent in constructing
| the plant they got a commission by
| the cost-plus plan.
Teams Hidden From Observers.
There were so many teams that
orders were given to keep them on
the move before somebody complain
| ed, and at one time flock Of eighteen
were sent to the bushes, way out by
| the pest house and away from view.
Pnh Oliver
$500 for bossing teams, including his
! own. He was paid for his mules and
then paid for bossing them.
Every foreman drawing $3.50 a
month-and you didn't have to be
| much of man to draw it-got an
automobile. Hundreds Of trips charged
| to the government were mere joy
| rides"
Cost OF Powder Plant.
The Old Hickory powder plant at
Nashville. Tenn. which the du Pont
Engineering Company reported to the
war Department cost $65. .000, 900, ac-
| tually cost $S7,000.00O. Mr.. Evans said.
Ihe plant site comprised 5.55S acres.
| and real estate men said the govern
| ment paid an excessive price," Evans
testified. About 1900 buildings were
erected as quarters for employees, and
only or per cent of these had been
occupied at Christmas, 1918"
Evans said he got his figures on the
cost of the war plant from the ac-
countant of the ordnance department.
On a two-acre salvage lot at Old
HICKORY there was first-class material
OF every kind, which was sold at low
figures" Evans said. Copper wire and
valves. never taken from che boxes in
which they were received, were sold
as SO much junk
so per cent of the employees at Old
Hickory at work, and that the labor
supply was overstocked. He ascribed
the general loafing and wastefulness
as due @ to the cost-plus system by
which the plant was built"
The witness gave the committee a
report showing 244 carloads of good
material sold as salvage, and de-
clared two-thirds of it was bought
by junk dealer at Nashville, whose
brother was in charge of the salvage
lot.
Discusses Labor Situation.
Regarding the labor situation at
Old Hickory. Evans said:
There was such a demand for
akilled labor that common labor was
employed and paid skilled labor
wages. Nobody said anything by
way OF protest. Nearly every employe
felt that as the government was pay
Ing the bill there was no use to hurry
or worry"
+ thousands OF hams and thousands
Of pounds of other foodstuffs in the
commissary department were sold at
half the Nashville retail price to EN-
ployes, with no limit to the amount of
purchases.
Questioned by Representative JEFF
ferris, republican, Nebraska, Evans
said he sent full reports to the chief
OF the military intelligence at Wash
inston. and copies went to the federal
district Attorney at Nashville.
Ever hear of any prosecution
against anybody" Mr.. Jefferis asked.
The witness said he had not
He will resume his testimony to-
morrow.