The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1922-03-02
THE PEOPLES
Signed Helpful Contributions
General or Local Interest
Solicited
MORE ABOUT WAR WASTE


Peoples Forum. 1t was clipped from
Il Nebraska paper and is the sub
stance of a campaign speech made b.
Congressman Reaves of that stat
some time ago.
American citizens who read have
long known that in the days of tn,
war waste and extravaganza went OF
with uncurbed hands through Wash
ington official channels but the de
tails of many expenditures which are
nothing short of %outraging and Grim
inal have been laid bare by Con.
gresham Reaves of the first Nebras
ka district in speeches recently made
in Nebraska. The congressman has
been investigating these expenditur-
es as chairman of the House com
mittee named for that purpose and
in his speech at Lincoln last week
made mention of a few.
The war department needed 1876,
900 branding irons to burn the let
tiers "U. S." on SOC, 1000 horses pur-
chased by the department for the
war and paid 1914 cents per pound
for the copper heads.
The branding irons were deliver
ed to the government two months
after the armistice was signed and
were found of an inferior grade of
copper, so the department sold them
back to the manufacturer at liz
cents per pound.
Mr.. Reaves said that the govern
ment purchased 104, 900 cavalry hor-
ses and then for these horses bought
945, 900 saddles. For the LAG, 900 ar
tilery horses 100000 sets of dou-
BILE harness were purchased.
Great quantities of harness leather
was also purchased, which, with the
item of shoes added, took 100000
more hides than were raised in the
United States that year. The sad
dies and the harness are still in the
When the war ended, the govern
had 10000 automobiles in the
motor transport corps. 1t still has
them, at least such as have not rot
away.
I've seen 1000 trucks in one place
where they had stood seven months
With no effort being made to dis
pose of them. Up to September A,
asst, not a machine had been sold.
This was in order that our industrial
system should not be disturbed. I
Jaw more than 1000 Packard limous-
mes with the uph~olstering rotted and
he tires bursted out in the open for
II months. No effort was made to
;ell them.
A total of 70,130 new cars were
'eceived and paid for after the arm
stice, he said, while 100000 already
hand were rotting and T today.
This all in order that industrial con-
Iitions be not disturbed.
They shipped 39,993 new autos
0 France after our army had been
'rought home, and this despite the
act that we already had 100000
ars over there, Mr.. Reaves said.
Five weeks after the last shipment
rent to France, according to the con-
ressman, we sold all the ears over
here to France at 20 cents on the
ollar and allowed ten years for pay
lent.
And we are told that this was in
rider that we might keep from break
lg the heart of the world.
He told the story of sugar, how
lis country filled the warehouses of
rance and only six weeks ago sold
that country $4,000, 600 pounds at
cents a pound. Not only did the
ADMINISTRATION sell sugar to France,
ut it sold all that the army had and
is now nothing left for the use
the American army.
Mr.. Reaves told of a secret meet 7
g behind closed doors between rep
,sentatives of the war department
I'd civilians, with every civilian a
preventative of a big packing in !,
tuition.
And the next week, purchase was
ade of $22, 10000 0 worth of cured :
to feed Europe while at the
me time we had 5000, OOO,O 900
orth of meat spelling in France.
The congressman refers to this as
conspiracy between these so-callied
and the war department ''to i,
ip the meat away for fear of break