Evening star., 1941-04-25
Cantonments
Pass Estimates
ByS338,000,O00
SomerveII Attributes
Much of Cost Excess
To Railroad Building
By the Associated Press.

By tbe Associated Press.
The Armv's new cantonments will
cost 38,000,000 instead of $500
100000 as originally estimated. Brig.
Gen. Brehon Somervell told a spe-
Cial Senate defense investigating
committee today.
Gen. Somervell, chief of the Con-
struction Division of the Quarter
master Generals Office, attributed
the increased cost principally to
factors which could not be fore
seen" as the Army sought TO fit camp
plans TO sites selected.
He also testified it would cost
about SITS per man to provide
housing for the expanded Army of
l,400.000 men, Hugh A. Fulten,
committee counsel, commented that
he understood the per capita wealth
of the Nation was about S2,327.
Gen. Somervell said more than half
the Army would be housed in tents
when the program is completed.
Much of the excess over con-
struction estimates he said, was
due to the necessity for building
railroad facilities.
Costs in Britain Cited.
A report of a special Parliament
Committee in England. he testified.
showed that the cost of five typical
British camps exceeded estimates
by from 240 to 482 per cent.
The committee called on defense
contractors TO list and explain fees
or commissions paid 10 any per-
son in obtaining coSt-plus fixed
fee contracts from the Army and
Navy.
In three-page QUESTIONABLE sent
to all holders of such contracts the
committee, headed by Senator Tru-
man. Democrat, of Missouri, asked
the name and address of any person
who offered his service ''as an inter-
mediary or otherwise to assist in
obtaining or performing the con-
tract"
Pursuing this same line of inquiry
the committee also demanded to
know the name and official position
of any person connected with the
Government who might have dis
cuSSed the contract before 1t was let.
Senator Truman told reporters
that if answers TO the questionnaireS
disclosed any such instances both
the contractor and the intermediary
would be called before the commit
tee for a thorough inquiry.
There have Deen rumors that
fees have been paid to obtain con-
tracts and that Intermediates have
entered the picture" Senator Tru-
man said. I'VE don't know if there
is any truth in these reports, but we
want TO find out"
In another field the committee
inquired about the amount of equip
ment leased or borrowed by the
contractor for the Government Job
with information on rental prices
paid.
Committee members said their at
tention had been drawn to reputedly
high rentals paid by the Govern
ment for machinery.
In a statement he prepared for the
committee. Gen Somervel said it
was his opinion that the Army S
projects were being executed by
competent architect engineers and
contractors selected from the best in
the country"
He said more than $50 900 laborers
had been employed on Army projects
which had gone ahead with such
rapidity that every soldier Sched-
uled by the War Department to be
under arms is housed more ade-
quately than any in Army history"
Takes Issue with ChamberIin.
Senator Truman took issue yes
terday with statement by Col
Stephen J. Chamberlin. Army gen.
eral staff officer, that the War De-
partment didn't have three months
TO arrange for new camps" to house
the Nations expanding military
forces
1T seems to me the War Depart
ment has had 20 years to get ready
for this situation" Senator Truman
commented during Col. Chamber
Inns testimony.
There was no reason. he contin-
ued, why the department couldn't
have picked cantonment sites years
ago and perfected its plans. even
though it had no construction money
available
Gen Somervell told Senator Tru-
man that the Army had had 20
years to prepare plans but that it
was impossible to get anybody to
give us the money to DreDare them -