The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-12-05
War CRAFT SUITS
CAMP DIX
US. Would Recover 100000
Misspent at WIighistoHn
FIVE j; OTHER CASES FILED
Six, Actions Ask Refunding of $29, ooO.-
900 by Army cantonment Contract.
ors-Ahuse of Confidence Alleged.

Washington, Dee. Six additional
suits seeking to recover large sums al
legged to have been misspent in con
struction of the wartime army can
tonments were fled In as many cites
BY representatives Of tie department.
of Justice.
The six actions sought t. recover
SIG, 100000, and brought the total
claimed by the government fFeIsi war
contractors to more than SoO,Goo,O0.
The projects, contractors aN> SINS
involved in the six suit wS.a:
Camp Travis, San .tonin. IeNi's,
Stone s. Webster, :*33,o5N,I3; imp
Lee. Petersburg. Va, H!l:ne.:a'! &
Dennis company, Incorporated, S'!,tt''
eco; Camp Custer, Battle Cree X, -i.c:t.,
Porter Brothers, S5,0oo0Gp; tlh:p
Pike, Little Rock, Ark, j:si:iis :-te"-
ar, & Co, Incorporates, S3,eo1oU9 ;
Camp Dodge, DeS -Mo:i:es, iowa,
CHARLES Neltz Sons, Si303,S{o, and
Camp Dix, WrightstowE, :. j.. li"'n
& Leighton, ph:ladelph:a, %G.i0i}U.
The six bills of complaint, almost
Identical in form. Were ti'id =: lie
federal district court at San Antonio
III, !l,nonta. Detroit, Little i:>'t:N, D>S
Mnines and T"entnp Ih@y chHrs@l
FRAUD, connivance, waste and improper
use Of funds and material.
Further suits aga!n%: prime cHH-
.:'ac-rrS" on government War-tinir c"ii-
s;ruct:on are in preparation by ne
drnuitlneut and Will be filed as tAey
a,p completed. \ suit inIo!Eing con
: :t:rt!.n Of one OF the maJo" army
projects in New England was to have
been Instituted, but nor completed in
t:I:e.
According to official figures camp
Lee was with one exception the cost
LEST of the war cantonment projects.
More than $1S.6I0,00o WAS spent on
tie Virginia training center: $13,Si6.-
WD at Custer: S11,296, GOO at Dodge
G13, $4,000 at Dix; ST. $1,000 at Pike
and So. $4,000 at Travis. Camp Knox,
at Stfthton, Ky, holds the high record
in cost. SIS, 733,IS4 having been paid,
according to war department records
for its construction.
As in the case of the four initial
suits fled November +. an important
specification in the government com
n,aint is the charge that the defend
ants took advantage of the govern
ment's pre-occupation in other war
activities to grossly violate the conf
dence imposed In them.
yT-l>o y E lot 1t
the dates the contracts were entered
into between the United States and
the defendants, and at the times the
acts charged against the defendants
were suffered, national emergency
existed and it was impracticable and
impossible for the government to ex,
ercise the customary degree Of super
vision and inspection. j.
The complaints further allege that
the defendants did not in good faith
carry out their contracts; ''but, on the
| contrary, defendants did knowingly
! recklessly, illegally and frauduently
| violate and abuse such confidence and
| trust and breach of said CONTRACT, IN
| that il counseled, advised, permitted
| aided and connived in the carrying on
| and did itself by and through Its
| agents, servants and employees. carry
! Oh and conduct in grossly negligent
inefficient and wasteful manner, the
| work defendants had undertaken to
perform, and by reason Of said con
duct and acts defendants not only
| caused great damage and loss 70 the
| plaintiff. but in addition thereto great
ly delayed and embarrassed the plain
tiff in making preparations for the
war into which it had entered"