The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1941-06-19

Fort Dix, one of the few army
projects undertaken on a Compel
tive basis, was built at a per-man-
housed cost Of 1852, as compared
to 1892 for Camp Edwards Mass.)
1896 for Camp Meade (Md), and
s1,O35 for Camp Devens (Mass.) },
where they used "cost plus"
At Fort Dix all the extras" had
to come out of the contractors
own pocket, while at the other
three camps the contractors were
not concerned about holding down
the cost since 1t came out Of Uncle
Sans pocket. Thus, at Fort Dix,
$233, 946 was paid for overtime
labor, against $1,O00,O00 at Ed
wards, $1,350,000 at Devens, and
81, BOB 900 at Meade. Today, all of
the camps are in essentially the
same stage of completion.
The cost Of building the SO man
barracks, common to all the
camps, was $9,822 for Fort Dix,
Compared to $4,000 for Edwards
and Devens, and $17,364 for Meade.
Last week we tried to write into
the law a provision that hereafter
all contracts should be let in COM
petitive bidding but the New Deal
ers mustered enough votes to beat
us by majority of four. 1t is be-
yond me how any red-blooded
American can either condone or
support such criminal waste Of the
taxpayers money. Some day these
galoping hounds Of waste will be
called to account by the American
people just as they were after the
World War but I am afraid there
will be very little left to salvage
by the time people can get around
to act.
Conveying To The Fore
Each day that passes Congress
Is becoming more and more ap-
prehensive over rumors that A
merican war vessels are now con-
voying war material shipments to
the Allies as far as the area that
the Germans have included in
their blockade. Members of Con-
gress have received letters from
parents declaring that their sons
are engaged in conveying and that
is how it leaked out. OF course,
the Administration has denied 1t
but such denials do not mean very
much because the President and
his official family have on prev
ious occasions denied the truth of
oh n roroc xr,a oft o,,,,yo ~ fo,,pJ xr,oro
well grounded. It is not so long
ago that the President declared
conveying was farthest from his
thoughts. He even went so far as
to say conveying means shooting
and shooting means war. Many
are firmly of the opinion that the
Administration wants to get us
into this war by hook or crook.
There is a small but vociferous
and powerfully financed group in
this country that will go to any
length to embroil America. If they
succeed in doing so they will rue
the day because when the war Is
over and the American people be-
gin looking about for someone to
place the blame on, there will de-
scend upon this group a fury that
will know no limits and the in
nocent will suffer with the guilty
Certainly, that must be avoided
and it can only, be avoided by A.
merica remaining neutral. We
must not confuse ample national
defense with aggression or partici
patton. The two are in no way
related. as.v
Says U. s. Can Undersell
Many of my readers may have
overlooked significant statement
recently made by Bernard M
Baruch, formerly Chairman OF
Woodrow Wilson's War Industries
Board and now a national defense
consultant to the Roosevelt Ad.
ministration. Therin Mr.. Baruch
expressed the opinion that the
United States can and will under.
sell totalitarian countries in world
trade and pointed out that Ger,
many, not the United States
would be ION the spot" econom.
ically if Germany were to retain
control of the European continent
Many experienced business men
hold the same view. We are far
in advance of any other country in
mass production, also in new in.
ventions. There is hardly an
implement of war used in Europe
today that was not invented by an
American and that includes the
tank and the glider.
Foreign commerce is a cold.
blooded transaction controlled by
reciprocal buying, favorable credits
quality, low prices and prompt de-
li1rar,r That trade may he q two