Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-11-14

was occupied and scores Of men and
women stood for hours while many
others were turned away. Chairman
Reed announced that tomorrow the
hearings would be held In q larger
room.
| The awarding Of contracts for hos
| pitfalls at Northampton, Mass, Tup-
| per, Lake, N. Y, and American Lake,
Wash. which figured largely in Nor
timers testimony; the purchase of
the Livermore, Calf, hospital site;
| the employment of Mathew O'Brien,
q San Francisco architect to prepare
plans for the Liverrnore hospital. and
the Perryville sale were the princi-
pal subjects touched upon today by
| Forbes.
The former director declared the
first thing he did. with respect to
hospital contracts after congress
made the money available was to
confer with the engineering depart
ments of the army and navy.
Il put the job entirely in their
hands: the Jurisdiction right up to
Them" he said.
The witness testified that plans and
specifications for the three hospitals
under discussion had been prepared
by either the navy or war depart
AAChto 0uu SAdt lc udu IOltOWeu rec
concentrations of those departments
in awarding contracts. :
To support this testimony, Mr.
Easby-Smith read into the record a
number Of letters and reports which
were taken from the files of the
bureau OF documents and yards of
the Navy department, and the quar-
termaster generals office and which
were furnished to him at his request
by John +. Organ, general council
for the committee. They had not pre-
violsly been placed in evidence.
Chairman Reed observed that one
Of the documents offered was a copy
and asked about the original.
There is no question about that"
said General Organ.
AS to the purchase of the Liver
more site, Forbes declared that he
had refused to consider a price of
either $15O.OOO or $4,000 and finally
had made the purchase at $1O5,O
after he had succeeded in having in
cluded in the site valuable water
rights and easements on the country
roads. He denied that he had writ
ten a letter to Secretary Mellon re-
commenting the purchase at $780,
OOO. A carbon copy Of a letter pur-
porting to have been written by For
bes was placed in evidence some
time ago. but it developed today that
Secretary Mellon has since reported
that the original of such a letter was
not to be found in the Treasury files.
Employment of q local architect
to assist with the Livermore plans
was suggested by President Harding,
Forbes testified. and O'Brien was
hired on the strength of endorse
hsoIx I,a L. 81,
ington, among which were those of
two senators from California and the
entire delegations from that state in
the House of Representatives.
Describing Perryville as "the best
junkpile", the government ever had,
Forbes said he was for closing it,
but that there was a "desire and a
political one" to keep 1t going.
The former director told of sew
eral conferences with President Har-
ding about the sale Of Perryville
supplies, but President Harding was
incensed or indignant as DIR. Saw
yer had testified. He said at the
time the president seemd interested
"in some towels" and another time
lin sheets" that were being shipped
out. His testimony also was that
Mr.. Harding in stopping the sale fl
nal1y had given permission for the
cars then loaded to move. DR.. Saw
yer testified that it was for the let
ting out Of these cars that Forbes
was dismissed.
The former director charged that
DR.. Sawyer had made a requisition
for the shipping of 20 barrels of
whiskey from Perryville to Dayton.
Ohio, where there is a soldiers home.
/ 1--WE forgotten how much stuff he
did want to send to soldiers homes"
he said. adding that the requisition
waQ not b0pnred