Evening star., 1923-11-06
HOSPITAL SUPPLIES
NEEDED WHEN SOLD,
COMMITTEE HEARS
Public Health Agent Says
About Fourth of Bargains
Were Really Surplus.
NO WARNING OF SALE
GIVEN, DOCTOR CLAIMS
Marine Hospital Head Tells of
Fruitless Efforts to Get
Some of Supplies.

Less than one-fourth of the three
million dollars worth of property at
Perryville. Md, sold to Thompson &
Kelly, Inc, of Boston, by the Veter-
ans Bureau for 100000 was really
surplus, the Senate investigating COM
mittee was told today by C. II. Bier
man, representative of the public
health service at the Maryland sup
ply depot
Bierman said the rapidity with
which the property was moved
aroused suspicion" in his mind and
also created indignation"
Can you recall now anything that
casts honor on this transaction"
asked John f. O'Ryan, general coun-
sci for the committee.
Not from the evidence 1 have
heard here" Bierman replied.
Knew of Sale Two Days.
Bierman said the first information he
had that there was to be sale was
on November 13, two days before the
loading of the cars began. Then Lieut.
Commander Charles r. OLeary, in
charge of the supply division of the
bureau, and Mr.. Thompson of Thomp-
son & Kelly, arrived at Perryville to
arrange for the removal At that time
Bierman continued, the public health
service had not received the 20 per cent
division of all of the property that had
been awarded to ii at a conference of
interested government officials six
months before the sale was made.
Repeated but unsuccessful efforts
of the public health service to
get Forbes to turn over to that
service all of the sheets, bandages,
gauZe and some other of the
staple articles at Perryville. subse-
quently sold as surplus properties by
the Veterans Bureau, We're described
by DIR. Frederick c. Smith, in charge
of public health service marine hos
pitals and relief stations. Surgeon
Cumming wrote Forbes, he
said, that these materials could be
used by the public health service at
a tremendous saving to the govern
ment."
Notified Health Service.
DR.. Smith testified that Forbes ad-
vised the public health service on
Is, 1922, that it was the
purpose to dispose of the supplies at
Perryville, and asked that this service
arrange to remove the 20 per cent
of the stores which had been allotted
to it. 1t was not until after the sale
was made that the public health
service knew that it was the purpose
to dispose of the property by a sale
The public health service. DR. Smith
went on, lacked storage space for its
portion of the supplies and made re-
bod
space. Finally the aid of Brig. Gen.
Charles Z. Sawyer. chairman of the
hospital board, was enlisted in OBJ
tanning a permit from Forbes to use
such space. He added that "all of us
were anxious" to preserve the sup
plies for government use.
Responding to questions prepared
by James S. Easby-Smith counsel for
Forbes, DIR. Smith said he believed the
Veterans Bureau had given the pub
lie health service the pick of the
goods at Perryville and added that
Forbes had been most courteous and
fair
Sales Resumed Later.
DR.. Smith said that a Mr.. Bierman.
the public health service representa-
tive at Perryville. telephoned him
on December that the sales to
Thompson & & Kelly had been
and that on December
Forbes telephoned him asking if
everything at Perryville was all
right. The witness said he replied
that it was, but added that his un-
was that later the sales
were resumed.
Commander OLeary testified yes
terday that Sidney Bieber of Wash
ington was present at this confer
ence. Bieber was described in the
testimony of Elias II. Mortimer two
weeks ago as a friend of Charles II.
Forbes and as the man to whom
Forbes turned when the former di-
rector had failed to interest Morti-
mer in an alleged plan to remove
and narcotics from Perry
Vile.
Commander O'Leary told the COM
mittee Forbes had called the confer
ence in connection with charges made
by Henry Anchester that Bieber had
been interested in the contract for the
sale of the surplus property.
"Anchester did not show up
OLeary said, but Forbes held the
Anchester, as / understood
it, was interested in getting a con-
tract for the purchase of some other
could not get, it he told me he was
going to stop the sale at Perryville."
Deny Illegal Removal.
A denial that any of the whisky or
narcotics at Perryville has been re-
moved illegally was made to the COM
mittee yesterday by Nebins B. Hen
dirk, general storekeeper at the sup
ply depot there. The denial came
after Hendrix had asked that he be
questioned on the subject. He had
been called to testify as to what prop
erty had been sold to Thompson &
Kelly. together with the price re-
ceived and the cost of the goods to
the government.
Hendrix asserted that much of the
property disposed of at one-fifth its
cost would have been useful to the
bureau and that some of it soon will
have to be replaced. The committee
seemed most interested in the sale of
5000 bed sheets at 16 cents each at
about the time the bureau was pur-
chasing $4,000 sheets at $1.03 each.
said those sold were superior
to those purchased.
Three KILLED I'M MIME