Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-11-06
THE COUNTRY HOME
BY MRS. W. Fl. FELTON,

(not millions), a half billion on wooden
ships that were worthless.
There were twenty million hand grenades
made for our trOOp5-On this chemical eX-
pertinent one hundred and sixteen millions
Of dollars were absolutely wasted
There was a she'll loading plant built on
sWampy ground in Delaware estimated to
cost one million and quarter dollars.
When the armistiCe arrived the plant was IN
complete and up to that time fourteen mil
lions had been spent. The managers salary
was $4,000, assistant manager $4,000, and
the chief engineer 10,000-high salaries all
down the line.
The war department undertook to build
three Dicric acid plants, not including seven
such plants desired by the French, to furnish
the acid for explosives. Nothing was pro
duced ready for until the war ended and
the plants ordered by the French came to
thirty-fye millions, but it was settled with
the French for $14,000,000, dead loss for
the undertaking that never realized a dollar
of tWenty-onG millions
They had in operation what was called
the United States Homing corporation, to
provide homes for war workers. There were
spent at the navy yard in Washington City
on naval dOrmitOries eight hundred and six
ty-nine thousand dollars, which were never
occupied. Congressman Clark of Florida
said Of them 1T was q prOfigate, senseless
and utterly ineXcusable waste of public
funds
The government is still paying rental
to the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, rental
of land, the architect being paid $4,000 for
designing twelve small barnlike structures,
practically all alike. Ct saw acres of such
buildings myself in Washington City, cheap
box houses, in 1879 The contractor hired
some trucks to the governmental a $3.50 per
hour. which cost him $500 with net profit
of nearly $4,000. Why did not the govern
ment buy it's own trucks and give them to
the contractors as a souvenir Of the eyre
giOus failure?
1t cost 81 to hang pair of cheap blinds
on these very cheap buildings. Pie cost per
room to the government was $1,000, and
they were as cheap possible to build
A lady manager at one of these twelve
room buildings had nearly $4,000 salary, her
room and board, private secretary at 3d.
600 nearly, bOokkeeper at $4,000 and four
assistants at $4,000 each. They were to look
after the roomers and boarders in only one
Of these twelve dormitories. When the war
closed the government ordered it all to stop.
These enormous salaries went on for
months.
After the armistice the department
sent to France nearly $4,000 new motor
cars For what, nobody seems to know.
They were junked to the French for one
fifth Of their cost. The war department re-
ceived from the contractors over 10000 Of
such motor cars at a cost of one hundred
and seyenty-fiye million dollars. These cars
stood out in the weather, guarded at one
hundred thousand dollars a day-paid to
watch these Grated cars go to pieces, glut
on the market
The war department bought a reservation
in Georgia called Fort Benning One plan
tation was sold to the government for $780,
OO0-it cost the owner $50, 900 That Fort
<Bennng property cost the taxpayers over
$7.OON,OOO. For months after the property
was useless to the government it was kept
going.
What we really used in the way of ord
nance in small arms and ammunition was
bought in foreign countries "oyer there"
The stuff we made was Of no account. There
are fifteen volumes covering the investiga-
ton by the Graham committee. If it was
now paid for, it would not be so bad, but
the debts are still in force, drawing interest
Greedy lawyers and claim agents have made
billions Of dollars by collecting such claims
from the government since the armistice.