The Jones County news., 1921-06-30

Everyone has been shocked by the
G tact that 81, 05i, ,0Q0,0o was wasted on
a air craft production Without a single
p Z. ). atrplanc ever reaching The
front. Now Gen. pcrshing tells us
that even at The en- we had 10 borrow
ftom The French for practice air.
planes; we had not a sufficient number
even tor training.
''But the records Of the War Depart,
ment also show that 81, l0l, 000 600 was
expended on guns while ouly 1873
American guns reached the 'front.' and
we're In use when the armistice was
signed. Over cool billion wastcu on
guns with total output Of 1873.
"But the Ordnance Branch OF the
Army was not inclined to regard the
wasting OF billion as It's finest con
tribution to the history of waste.
/ THE War Department had Tor use IN
the Army 39l, 900 horses and nules:
yet the Ordnance Branch ordered
9i5, 600 saddles and over two million
sets OF double harness. enough to
cover more than q million horses If
the, GOULD all have baen 10 use at the
one time. They further purchased
|, l,637,l07 horse brushes, or
something more than four brushes for
each horse; 1900, coo nose feed bags
were ordered SO that each horse might
have iive bags to eat oui OF and 1850
. 600 halters-evidentl haltcr for
each head and each tall aud each foot.
No wonder the price of leather In
these States Increased out OF all cal.
:. Gu ating.
+. The War Department decided tha
@ these horses and mules must be brand
I-1ed, and 30 10 September, 1918. who
a any tool conld see that the war wa
70 ankcelly over. the War Dspak
ok Mt eNerN inro cdalr3e., sfi
/ Henry Moss n Co., Of New York; (.
lie 1876, 900 branding irons, each iroh
Or be made OF copper because that met
II was both scarce and expensive.
I'd The Contractors purchased 70, 9a
E, pounds of copper or 20, 600 pound
9. more than was needed to make To
n irons. Officials OF the compan
d stated that they paid thirty-niDe cent
Al per pound therefor The War Dc
partment paid the company tairtY
n nine and a half cents per pound fol
all the copper and then immediatel,
e sold it back to the company for clever
l. cents per pound, and we won the wal
l. without branding the horses and
q mules because no branding ironi
!. had been delivered at the tlae
y the armistice was signed.
c "But In spite OF all that waste tbs
= United States War Department PAID
y the company the further sum OF $40.
Q 900 In satisfaction of the claim fos
s services rendered, though they we're
@ neyer rendered,
I Again in Ostober, 1918, the War
Department placed an order with the
Briar Hill Stee! Company, OF Youngs-
town. OHIO, for 778, 600 sheets OF cor.
rugated-steel roofing, a character OF
y steel roofing which the contractor or
. dlnarlly used in his business None oil
this roofing had been delivered to the
government when the armistice WAS
signed. The contract was cancelled
and the contractor made a claim foi
loss OF profits, and the records Of the
War Department show that the officers
= Of this administration compromised
the claim for sl63 3.5l96s.
: GRAFT BEHIND THE GUNS.
Then the War Department entered
into a contract with tho Standard
Steel Car Co, Of Hammond, Ind, for
construction Of 964 % inch bowltzer
carriages. TIE War Department
e agreed to pay for the cost Of build
inRs, material aud machinery, and the
company was to be paid commission
( upon the total cost OF such Carriages
to the Government,
'lhe Government paid for the build
, linRs which were erected upon the
company's grounds and which cost
~, g57 200. and after the arDsisiice was
signed the War Department sold these
buildings back to the company for
' 10000.
o g When the armistIce was signed thi.
company had on hand material for
J., which the Government had paid
!. s5, 55o, ,000i the testimony shows that
= representatives OF the admInlstratior
9 sold back this material 70 the CON
: pany as junk for the sum OF $500 O00
; and that too, in taee of the fat tha
}. arsensls of the United States werl
!. clamoring for material OF this same
!. character.
1t "The testimony further shows thai
= not single howitzer carriage hat
been delivered 10 the Government
prior 10 the signing OF the armistlce
% bat that after the armistice wa
~ signed the Ordnance Department ha,
the company furnish 200 of thes