Evening star., 1934-06-27
Haig Calls Ford Agents
"Get- Together" Charge
"AbsoIuteIy False"
DID NOT KNOW SABINE
AT TIME, MANAGER SAYS
Story Told Probe Committee Is
Repeated by Witness in
Reply.
BY REX COLLIER.

O1uCldI, JOQay branded aS dDSOlulely
false" charges made to House COM
mittee that he suggested a get
! together" of General Motors, Ford
! and Chrysler bidders for a three
way split" of Army motor contracts.
The charges were made yesterday
before a House Military Affairs Sub
committee by R. P. Sabine, Ford
agent, who added he had turned
thumbs down on the alleged PROPOSE
ton"
Haig, managing director of feet
sales for General Motors, and now in
Detroit, issued a vigorous denial
through Joseph B. Woodside, Wash
ington manager of fleet sales for
| General Motors. and formerly assist
ant to Controller General McCarl
WoodSide said he will appear be-
fore the committee tomorrow to pre-
| sent a formal statement from Haig
and to voice his own denial of
| Sabine's allegations-made twice un-
der oath to the committee. The COM
mittee held no hearing today.
Absolutely False"
you can say for Mr.. Haig and
also for me that the charges of Mr..
Sabine are absolutely false" Wood
side told The Star Why, Mr.. Haig
never met Mr.. Sabine until severe
weeks after the alleged proposition
! is supposed to have been made-and
was the person who introduced
them
The meeting to which Mr.. Sabine
apparently had reference took place
at Camp Holabird on January % last.
Mr.. Haig and 1 were present. and so
was Mr.. Sabine. The bidders were
meeting in the Office of the Holabird
Army officers, and obviously no such
proposition could have been made in
such a public place as that.
Mr. Haig did not know Mr.. Sabine
at that time. but I did. Neither of
gestlcn as Mr.. Sabine testified to.
think it was about two weeks later
that I introduced Mr.. Haig to Mr..
Sabine for the first time"
To Present Denial.
Woodside said he has Haig's denial
in hand and is ready to present it to
the committee at its earliest con-
venience
Advised of the denials by the Gen.
eral Motors representatives, Sabine
reiterated his charges to The Star
and added a few details.
Mr.. Woodside wasn't there when
the proposition was made" Sabine
declared. I would like to take Mr..
Haig over to Holabird and show him
the exact spot where We were stand
ing when he broached the matter.
There isn't any doubt in my mind
about it, and Mr.. Simonds distinctly
recalls it, too"
He referred to E. c. Simonds, an
other Ford representative, who, Sa-
bine testified, was present when the
proposal was made.
"Mr. Haig said it, all right" Sabine
continued, "and I remember that he
said something about having tried to
make such an arrangement previous
". without success. l will be glad to
offer the committee further proof II
they want it,
Meetings Recalled.
Sabine said he did not recall the
exact date of the meeting at Hola-
bird, except that it was sometime in
January. He said there were several
meetings of bidders there that month.
In his testimony yesterday before
the committee Sabine confirmed pre-
vious statements he had made behind
closed doors In the secret session,
It was disclosed, Representative
James, Republican, of Michigan asked
Sabine:
Have any of your competitors ever
made proposition to you to tlx
prices?"
"They did not exactly say fix
prices" Sabine replied, but Norman
Haig said he had had his belly full
of selling automobiles to the Govern
ment at cost last year. In the early
part of this year he said he did not
see why it would not be possible for
Chevrolet, Chrysler and Ford to get
together and split this business three
ways so they could all make a proht
out of it."
When was that?" James asked.
"It was the early part of January
the first of the year"
Who was present?"
"Haig, Simonds from the Ford
Motor Co. and myself, over at Hola-
bird"
| Split Suggestion Charged.
did they suggest what the pro-
posed split would be?" Chairman
Rogers inquired.
"Just that we should split it three
ways" the witness responded.
Sabine confirmed his previous testi-
mony and asserted he had refused to
consider the proposition" at all.
A H. Ferrandou of the Dodge COM
pany, who was an observer at yester-
days hearing, was called to the stand
and asked if his firm had made any
arrangement with Chevrolet or Cen
eral Motors for splitting up contracts.
He replied in the negative.
Lieut.. Col. Joseph 1. McMullen,
chief of the patents section, judge
advocate generals Office, is due to
appear again before the committee
tomorrow. The committee plans to
interrogate him further regarding
fees or favors accepted by Army Off
| aarc f~n,,, 20 nopnoy,ae