Evening star., 1921-09-30
DAWES T0C0NDUCT
BIG BARGAIN SALE
U. S. to Dispose of 49, ,0O,-
100000 of Surplus
Stocks.
BY HERBERT COREY.

StUCkS.
BY HERBERT COREY.
Gen. Dawes is conducting the great
,st bargain sale in history. He will
lot want this statement made in this
orm. But It Is the truth for all that
He and his aides are selling and get
ing ready to sell about three billion
dollars worth Of property. In this
three factors enter
The buyer must be offered such q
bargain that he will buy.
The sales must not be made at SO
ow a price that the market. will be
broken to the injury and perhaps ruin
If American business men.
The largest possible sum must be
realized for the United States Treas
lry.
Dawes has on his hands. I have said
that he win sell three billion dollars
worth Of property, but that is only a
guess. The War and Navy depart
ments are each accredited with from
one to two billion dollars worth of
surplus stocks. and there are other
surplusages scattered through other
The total may be more
and it may be less. Whatever 1t may
be. the bargain sale was wished on
Dawes as an incident to his budget
He had no thought of any
such thing when hetook his Job.
Just Like q Merchant.
His plan at the outset was to out
line the 1928 budget, rough-hew the
logs for the budget structure of the
future, and then hurry home. But his
job was not SO simple. Before he
could get at the total for the next
budget he found himself compelled to
find out what he could realize from
the stocks on hand. He has conducted
his affairs precisely as q merchant
might. Before preparing to borrow
trying to get in what cash he can by
advertising an end-of-the-season sale.
Before any merchant can hold re-
duction sale he must get an inventory
of the stocks on hand. That Is what
Dawes did. No one knows what diff
talking less for publication than any
man who ever came to Washington.
This may be a surprising statement,
but wait a little. You'll find he has
a reason for 1t. 1t Is known that
some of the minor chiefs tried to hold
ing and inventorying. They wanted
to hide various items and stores
which they did not need at the mo-
ment. but thought they might per
haps need in the future. Dawes, in
the belief Of the onlookers. found 'em
all.
HE is a beautiful talker." said one
bureau chief in almost fearful ad-
miration.
Dawes Methods Abroad.
Dawes gives glimpse at his
methods in his interesting book Of
"reminiscences on the part he played
as chief purchasing agent for the
American expeditionary forces dur
ing the war. He relates that in
France and England he often found
it necessary to move assemblages Of
brass hats to action. Every one
knows there is a type Of general who
thinks more of his personal dignity
than of getting his Job Of work done.
Dawes found these dignified old fos-
sils delivered into his hands. When
he entered the room in which such a
being held he began to break down
their moral resistance. He smoked.
talked loud, cussed, put his feet on
the table-anything to make them
forget what gosh almighty big men
they were. Pretty soon they were
ed if he would only go away and let
them get another look at the mirfor.
So he treated those who held out on
his inventorying. but that is not part
of this story. Recently he named Of
ficers in each department whose duty
sales Knowing what was on hand.
it was easy to fnd out what must
be bought for the coming year. Some
of the departments had never really
known that before. Then. each CO.
ordinating officer. being armed with
a knowledge OF what surplus hi: par,
ticular department had on hand and
what it would need, Dawes created q
general board at which these officers
will meet to represent all the depart
ments.
From now on money will be saved
by the departments. at least as COM
pared with the former system. There
was a time when sailor slept in one
sort Of a blanket,and a soldier in an
other. and a marine in still q third
A sailor would die rather than wear
a soldiers shoes. The two great
fighting departments even had differ
ent sorts Of small arms. The Navy
ket because it insisted on fussy little
gadgets. Rope for Navy must be
twisted somewhat Inherently from
rope for j.. Smith, One rope was as
good as the other rope. for all that.
In the future the supplies for the two
cfangeAb1e. Unless. Of course. gen.
era1 or an admiral manages to spike
the Dawes program.
When one department has q guam
tity of goods on hand that another
department needs an exchange will be
common sense way of doing business
has never seeped though the depart-
mental skullcap before. II the Navy
wanted shoes 1t went into the mar
ket and bought them. no matter II
the Army had eleven warehouses full
mold. The amount Of credit to be
given will be decided by the exercise
Of common sense. That. again, IL
something that has never been q de-
partmental method. Until one gets a
first-class look at Washington de-
quickly a man-any man-can be de-
partmentalized. 1t 10 the exceptional
man who can work in q department
for two months and not lose hold of
his gumption.
New system OF Credits.
Some credits will be given At the
price originally paid by the govern
-ment." said one official. "ahd some at
sss prss %as1St ars S.
chase price was in all cases a false
one, because Of the stress of war
buying. But we will try to nx book
price that will be fair to ALL"
Where goods must be bought for
the governments use during the COM
ing year the general board will have
charge Of the buing, but will not
actually buy. II the board were to
attempt to buy for all the govern
ment departments It would SO
smash. The Job Is too bis, Tor a sim
gle organization. The buying will be
done BY the buying officers Of the