Evening star., 1933-06-04
CALL HOWE AGAIN
IN Sl.4O KIT QUIZ
Senators Want to Review
Story of Connection.
Versions Conflict.
Continued From First Page)

Continued From First Page)
White House was about, and could not
| recall the question of toilet kits haN-
| ing been raised.
After Senator Black, Democrat, OF
Alabama. had paraphrashed some OF
Howes testimony. Douglas said:
so far as turning it (the investiga-
| tom over to me before the contract
was let, that is absolutely untrue, II
that is the inference"
The official transcript Of testimony
by Howe at Thursdays hearing refers
to Be Vier's call on him, and says In
part:
Il did what seemed the correct pro-
cedure in the case. I Immediately
called up the director OF budget and
asked him to put one OF their good
men on the matter and investigate the
truth or falsity of the mans state
ments and make recommendation.
Mr.. Douglas agreed with me that
was the way to handle it and sent a
Mr.. Lowery of his Office over to me. I
turned the man over to Mr.. Lowery,
with instructions to go into the mat
ter thoroughly. because on the face OF
it it seemed almost impossible that the
mans statements could be correct"
Lowery told the committee he had
been called to Howe's Office and had
found Be Vier there with a sample kit
and articles issued by the Army. which
seemed inferior to those offered by
Be Vier.
Relies on Informa ton.
That afternoon, he said, he prepared
letter foE Howe, giving Fechner au-
thority to order the kits. He said, how
ever, that it was up to Fechner's judg-
ment as to whether they should be pur-
chased. Answering Senator Black.
Lowery said he relied on what Be Vier
told him about the kits.
This letter was received in Fechner's
office May 16.
Be Vier, after announcing he 'em-
phatically'' denied testimony the kits
, could be duplicated for less than the
contract price, told the committee his
price was 80 cents kit less than the
lowest manufacturers wholesale price
on May 15.'
After Be vier had said he dealt with
j. j. McEntee, Fechners assistant,
committee members asked him when he
| first met Fechner.
He replied on May Is and Fechner
was recalled to repeat as Be Vier listened,
his testimony Of Friday that he met
Be Vier the first week in May and
, turned him over to McEntee"
The kits were offered to officials of
the QuartermaSter Corps, Be Vier said,
but he was told the speed with which
the forestation camp workers were be-
ing enrolled would make 1t impossible
to supply them.
He said his first price offer of s1.10
for the kits was increased to $l.40 be-
cause better quality material was sup
piled.
When he called on Howe, Be Vier
said Howe called Lowery to his Office
and said Lowry would make the inquiry.
Be Vier and Fechner were questioned
closely about memorandum in Fech-
ner's files, addressed to the controller
general and indorsing the purchase,
which Be Vier said he dictated, but
denied that he had addressed it to the
controller general.
The memorandum said bids had been
asked from manufacturers OF some OF
the articles in the kits and they had
replied to take the matter up with
their Government agents, Be Vier &
Co."
Fechner said he had never seen any
such replies. After Be Vier said he had
copies OF them, committee members de-
manded he produce them and he or
dered by telephone all his files from his
office in New York.
1.-THE kit contract was initiated as
follows: I came to Washington on Nav
4. 1888, and upon inquiry found that
the director of the Conservation Corps
was Mr. Robert Fechner. I went to
his Office and in his absence saw his
first assistant, Mr. McEntee. He was
;,,xa toI ;v, my rrnnnca1
and referred me to the Quartermaster
Corps.
THE officer whom I first interviewed
at the office of the Quartermaster
Corps seemed enthusiastic about the
kit, but upon investigation found that
such mater was in the hands OF an
other divis1n, namely the stock section.
Talked With Jones.
cat this section I talked with Col.
Jones, who told me that in theory the
idea of a kit was excellent but that
the War Department could not under
take to purchase the kit because 1t
had some of the items on hand which
it was issuing to Conservation Corps
recruits and the ownership OF these
items would interfere with the pur-
chase Of an assembled kit. Thereafter
I again called on Mr.. McEntee and
repOTleQ the dLLiluOc VI liiC e<udA lCi-
master Corps. Mr. McEntee asked me
to draw up my proposal in detail, CIV
ing specifications of the kit and send
it to him at the earliest possible mo-
ment, which I did upon returning to
New York on Saturday, May 6.
Having heard nothing from Mr.. Nc
Entee for almost a week thereafter, or
Friday, May IL, I came again to Wash
lngton and found that Mr.. McEntee was
out of town and Mr.. Fechner was not |
in. 1 then again went to the Quarter
master Corps to see If there was not
some further way in which ! could
arouse interest in the kit. l inter |
viewed Capt. Porter Of the Quarter
master Corps and told him the circum-
stances and he took the matter up |
with his immediate superior, where
upon I was ushered into the office OF
the quartermaster general, who glanced |
at the sample kit and Immediately di- |
rected me to talk the matter over |
with Capt Porter and two colonies who |
were present and stated that they |
would make recommendations.
Rv1a dot ,ad hat