The Crittenden press., 1920-06-25
War UnscrambIing Almost Fin
ished, Technical Committee
viii Be Dissolved.
FROM POWER TO CASTOR OIL
incidentally the Committee Adjusted
the Great Kansas Rabbit Meat
Claim Along With Some 2oo,-
900 Others.


900 Others.
WaShngtOn.-After assisting in say.
| ing the country several millions OF dot
lars through adjusting more thnn 2l,'
600 war contracts which were abrupt
ly terminated by the armistice. III"
technical advisory committee OF the
war claims board OF the war depart
ment is about TO be dissolved, accord
ing to Campbell Scott. who organized
the committee under the direction OF
Benedict Crowell. assistant secretary
Of war and director of munitions. The
committee, which was composed of ex-
perts in practically every branch of
engineering and manufacturing, WAS
organized to meet the critical sltua.
tion which developed as soon as the
war claims board attempted TO settle
/ the 10000 contracts In existence at the
close Of the war.
The greater number of these con.
tracts involved questions of highly
technical nature. and IL was To settle
these that the technical committee was
organized. Many Of the contracts in-
volyed had been let on a basis Of the
war lasting four or five years more ,
the great majority had been placed
| during the last six months of the con
| flct. An idea Of their scope is oil
tafned when II Is understood that there
were more than 10000 contractors
who. In turn. had let sub-contracts To-
more than 100000 others. In fact. 10
have finished the war contracts for
munitions and supplies of every cou'
ceivable nature which were In exist
ence on Armlstlce day would hay"
meant the tying up Of practically ~
per cent Of the manufacturing re-
sources Of this country.
An outstanding feature Of the great
work Of the investigations which were
completed by the technical committee
Is the fact. contrary TO general belief.
more than 10 per cent of the contrac-
tors were found 10 he scrupulously
honest IN their dealings with Uncle
Sam.
eve found that the great majority
Of the contractors" said Chairman
Scott yesterday, had undertaken their
work with the prime Idea Of assisting
their country In n time of peril. While
they did not forget that business Is
business. many OF them might have
made much more money than they did
"Of course. II Is true that the small
minority took the viewpoint that thc
government had made the war and
therefore should be made 10 pay for W
but when II came 10 adjusting the'I
claims even these were found to ~
fair and reasonable. indicative ~ th'
good spirit which prevailed. Only q
out OF $4,000 contractors have ap
penled 10 the court Of claims froir
the awards made 10 them. Thl'
shows the paInstaklng work done by
the technical committee Of the wal
claims board"
Claims Big and Little.
Some of the claims adjusted wer'
distinctly Of an extraordinary nature
They ranged from the adjustment y
the great power contracts In the Pitts
hurgh district. which involved 1900
100000 horse power. To the re'arrnng'
ment ~ the rabbit meat lndustr
which had sprung up in Kansas. In
cidentnly, the castor oil contracts
the oil to be- used for Liberty motors
have come up before the IcchnlcH
committee The fact thar the cntlr
amount Of more than S3inV1u0
worth of war contracts WINS settled II
T. per ccat NJ their total face vulu
shows TINT real AmcrlCunIsm pcraG,
the industries NJ this country
ut is the biggest job of arhllrutlo
the world has ever known" is III
way In which n prominent member ,
the administration characterized II
work of "unscrnmbling the war"
one of the most highly tcchnlcj
contracts. aud one which rcquir,
deep Investigation, was that nilecii'
the power supply OF the rlttshurI
district. This district the chief pro
ucts Of which were munitions NJ
steel Of every kind. was practical
tied up In government work during Il
lust year Of the war Additions We
built to plants, thousands Of new ci
ployees were added, and as soon