New-York tribune., 1921-11-03
Charges Hylan
Held Up Army
Sales to Poor
ssWhy Bother Me?>I'm Not
Interested" His Reply to
Request for "A Building,
Capt. Peterson Declares
Ignored Plea of Saving
Il. S. Paid for Room to War
on Gougers. Though City
Had Unoccupied Quarters

IN statement by former Captain
Jafrey Peterson. of the Quartermas-
ter Corps, United States Army, who
vas in charge OF the army Surplus
supplies" sales in this city in 1919
1890. given out st coalition campaign
headquarters yesterday, Captain Peter
son charged that Mayor Hylan turned
his back on the 100000 poor of New
York City" at that time by refusing to
assist the Federal government in it's
efforts to obtain o building here foI
the sale of the army goods at wholesale
prices to benefit the poor.
After waiting two hours and hall
outside of the Mayors Office at the City
Hall, on December Is, 1919-although
he had an appointment wita ss4 -fayor
Captain Peterson says he and his as.
Gstant, Captain Charles E. Pufer
finally were admitted.
Says Hylan Ignores Courtesy
1--WE were admitted to the outer Of
fees, where We found the Mayor lean
ing on the edge of table" said Cap.
tain Peterson. Captain PuFer and ]
saluted. The Mayor paid no attention
to us, but maintained absolute silence
{ In as few words as possible, I stated
our business, giving Mayor Hylan an
outline OF the volume of sales the army
was conducting. and saying that I was
confronted with the possibility of hav-
ing to close the store at time wher
tbOnSq11dS of
ing their winter underwear from u.s.
laid stress on the fact that as many
as $4,000 persons purchased from US
daily at cost, and that it was principal
ly the poor who benefited from these
sales. The Mayor said to me.
Why do you bother me with any
thing like this? What do you want
me TO do-go out and look for a build.
ing for you?'
Again | pleaded my cause, that il
was necessary for ne to secure a
building at once, or the army would
have to stop selling the supplies to the
poor who were securing their neces-
sites at from 20 to SO per cent below
woolen blankets at So, which could NOT
be purchased elsewhere fer less than
S.; wooden underwear at 81, the out
side price being 50, and canned goods
costing "a cents a can from merchants
we were selling at IL cents. All the
savings on our sales were in proportion
Mayor Hylan then said:
why don't you go over TO the mar
who has charge of such things? And
when | replied that I thought that
when family was in need it was
proper to bring the matter to the at.
tention of the father of that family
and that | regarded him as the proper
father of the city's poor. and that
thought matters would be expedited if
he would give me q card to the proper
person to provide building, becadse
the poor were relying on the. store for
certain essential articles which thew
couldn't afford otherwise, Mayor Hylan
said:
Well, I'm not Interested He then
walked out of the room"
Hurt Fight on Profiteers
Captain Peterson explained that at
that time (1S19- 1920 the cost of living
vas at its peak. and the army had in
its possession large supplies of 1000
different kinds of goods, which it de-
cided to put on the market at cost in
order to keep the profiteers from goug-
ing the public by actual profiteering in
the surplus army SUPPLIES.
"The sales did not stop, however
because of the Mayors indifference, >
Captain Peterson added. 'sfor fortu-
nafely | secured the old Astor Library
at Eighth and Lafayette streets, on a
four months lease at the rate of $50, ,00O
year. This coGld have been saved to
the United States government if Mayor
Hylan had let me have the empty
building at sos Pearl Street. The poor
people OF New York, who Mayor Hylan
would have prevented from securing
their winter necessities at cost prices,
continued for FIVE months to benefit
By the army sales"