New Britain herald., 1923-10-30
VETERANS BUREAU
 CONTINUES PROBE
Sale OI Land Tor Hospital Subject
 Of Scrutiny

stances surrounding the acquisition 0f q hospital site at Excelsior Springs, Ao., today came under further seru- tiny before the special senate commit tee Investigating the affairs Of the Veterans Bureau,
 E, F., Morse, widely known ngane in Missouri republican politics, and manager of the Lowden campaign in that state in ie20, was questioned in great detail about the deal by which | passed under government control, He testimony given yesterday by govern ment employees who declared the transaction was rushed through on the last day Of the Wilson Administration after there had been last minute increase in the rental price,
 Committee Gets Muddlei.
 Under questioning hy John F, 0'nyan. counsel for the committee. Morse went into involved explanations Of the various transactions connected with the hospital plant. with the re suit that the committee was left in considerable confusion, Senator Walsh. democrat. Massachusetts. first undertook to clear np some Of the de- tails; then Senator Reed. republican. Pennsylvania. the chairman, tried his hand. and finally they decided to let MT. Morse make his explanation in his own way
 Figures Are Muddled.
 Documents and records from which General o'Ryan read showed that Morse received final payment from the Veterans bureau of si7S,ooo. Among the individual items was the sa0,000 agreed price for the Morse homestead. s26.1oo for the additiona, land which Morse purchased if agreement with the government and s66,237 which Morse had expended ! in additions to the original building !, These made total Of sisa,337, and | after deducting the rental paid by tho government In 1921, General 1 O'Ryan said the sum due Morse in i the final settlement apparently was s176.S46. He added that there were no records to show how the round sum of $17s.0O0 was arrived at.
 'Thcy gave me an offer and I took ii," Morse broke in. They had noti- fled me that they were going to can eel the lease, and I was anxious to get the sale closed up."
 Morse said that the total acreage he originally had purchased for the s26,100, he retained 26 or 27 lots which the government did not need. The value of these lots was not, de- termined, but Morse agreed to fur nish the committee with figures show ing the tax assessments levied against them. General O'Ryan then read into the record an affidavit by J. J. Kendrick, real estate dealer of Kan sas City who appraised the total val uc of the original plant at $35,0oo and the total value of the existing plant at not in excess of sS0,0oO.
 Willing to Refund.
 Morse then proposed to the com mittee that the plant be reappraised. I saying he would be willing to refund to the government the difference be- tween the total of the appraisement , and the net total he received from { the Veterans bureau. His offer con- the appointment of one ap rraiser by the Veterans bureau and one Dy nlmSel1, the two thus SeleCt- ed to name third.
 Under further questions, Morse ( conceded that he later had used his ! political influence with congress to { prevent abandonment of the hospital ( at Excelsior Springs. In the summer I of 1929, he said, he was notified by S Inc Veterans bureau that it was the g purpose to abandon the project, a committee of medical men having against it's use as a r permanent hospital. Morse declared |