Arizona republican., 1920-02-04
GREEDY FORGE I PATRIOTISM IN EMERGENCY SAYS ? R ] bE OFFICER
'Extravagance, Inefficiency and Irregularities A e Charged by Officer h. vestigating Expenditure At Muscle Shoals, Ark.
Republican A. p. Leased Wire

Republican A. p. Leased WireI
 WASHINGTON, Feb. 3-Reckless eXtrayagance in the construction of the government nitrate plant at Muscle Shoals, Ala was. charged in a report by Colonel Fred H. Wagner, formerly director of operations at the plant, filed today with the house war expenditures committee.
 Of all evidence presented to the com mittee since it's investigation was be- gun months ago, the Wagner charges went deeper into detail, filling more than 100 pages and touching on every possible phase of the building and op- eration of the seventy million dollar war project. It was too much for Chairman Graham to read in a. day. but he declared the conclusions re- vealed "astounding conditions"
 Charges Wholesale Graft"
 Packed away in the bulky document examined only casually today by the committee, Colonel Wagner related what he alleged to be the story of Mus cle Shoals, built on the cost-plus plan with war time speed as the only con- sideration. Big items were put down with little items, running all the way from the charge that the accounting system was so bad no business, how sver efficient, could tolerate it and ex- ist to the story of the head barber in company shop who raked down five OOlldIS a 0ay extra TOT i've times that much money flowing into a cash register.
 With the bold accusation that even in a national emergency, patriotism at Muscle Shoals was forgotten, Colonel Wagner told how he had protested against paying s550 for a portrait of Frank s. Washburn of New. York, pres ident of the American Cyanamid com pany, the subsidiary of which, the Air Nitrates corporation, had the govern ment contract for the actual building Hundreds in Wholesale Indictment
 The biggest chapter was written un- der the caption of "extravagance with waste, inefficiency and irreg1lari ties placed next in that order in the wholesale indictment that included hundreds of names.
 Touching on the broad question of extravaganza, Colonel Wagner declared the Air Nitrates corporation main tained publicity bureau at the plant that cost s3,000 a month
 The only conceivable reason for private enterprise advertising a gov ernment-owned project the report declared, '-is the expectation of com ing in possession of the property, and having already thoroughly developed it, being in position to market its se- curities.''
 After raking the builders and their systems fore and aft, Colonel Wagner set down series of conclusions for the guidance of the committee. whose big task is in trying to find out what to do with the Muscle Shoals properties. Among the conclusions were:
 Presents Many Conclusions
 "The attitude of government
 agents toward the ordnance de-
 pertinent indicates clearly that
 even in a national emergency pa
 triotism was forgotten and despite
 the contracts promises, efforts
 were made to prevent the govern
 ment securing information needed.
 irregularities were common and
 when they were uncovered it was
 accomplished by the government,
 not by the agents.
 "There was unnecessary com
 struction, waste and inefficiency."
 In looking over the results the report said it was of interest to parallel them with the personnel of those respon- sibIe," and then gave the list of of ficers of the Air Nitrate corporation, all of New York. and their duties. salary and former employment.
 Street Cleaners as Officers
 The list included: J. w. Young, resi- dent manager, salary $10000; formerly deputy engineer, department water, gas and electric supply, New York city.
 !. T. Fetherston, vice president, sal ary $10,000, formerly street cleaning commissioner, New York.
 R. W. Parlin, engineer of training opera tions, salary $6,000, formerly dep- uty street cleaning commissioner, New York.
 J. O. Hammit head of community department, salary s7,500; formerly commissioner of fire prevention, New York. E. V. O'Daniels, treasurer, salary tI0,000; formerly deputy police com missioner, New York.
 R. Saunders, assistant treasurer, salary S6,000; formerly examiner of accounts, office of comptroller, New York city
 Just what could have been expected other than the results secured said the report in closing, and what rela- ton is there between the cleaning of New York's streets, the prevention of New Yorks fires, the running of New York's city police and the operation