Evening star., 1941-08-22
D. {. Officials
SET 10 Defend
Roads Bids
Controller Generals
Charges Denied
By Commissioners

District officials prepared today to
90 before congressional investigat-
Ing committee to defend fully and
completely the Districts system of
planning street work and award of
paving contracts against complaints
made officially to Congress by Con-
troller General Lindsay C. Warren.
After reviewing the Warren
charges and details of the Districts
system, Commissioners Charles w
Kutz and Guy Mason late yesterday
denied lin toto" the complaints as
presented to Congress and declared
they were absolutely unwarranted."
Renah F. Camalier, special ad-
wiser to the Senate District Com
mittee, meanwhile, announced that
Senator McCarran, Democrat, of Ne
vada, the committee chairman, had
instructed him to prepare for COM
mittee investigation of the charges
made by the controller general
sS to the District Highway Depart
ment or any other District agency
concerned. He said it was planned
to ask the Public Roads Administra-
tion to lend personnel that might be
needed in the study.
Questioned Contract Validity.
The controller general questioned
the validity of District paving con-
tracts, claiming bids were "un-
balanced and loaded" and charged
there was close to an even division"
of work among four major con-
tractors engaged in street work here.
At their meeting yesterday, the
Commissioners decided to send an
invitation to Mr.. Camalier to confer
with Capt. Whitehurst and examine
the whole system and the records
of the Highway Department on the
paving contract system. The Com
missioners added that they and Capt.
Whitehurst would welcome" any
investigation that Congress might
desire.
when we get through with full
examination Of all the facts in the
situation" the Commissioners said,
I'VE will show that the District Gov
ernment actually has saved money
by reason of the prevailing contract
system"
Commissioners Examine Records.
For nearly two hours yesterday
afternoon the two Commissioners
studied the controller generals COM
plants in the light of the District
records, which included an outline
of specifications, the works sheets
of the Highway Department and the
'case history" of the various high
way pre- jects and contracts.
Corporation Counsel Richmond B.
Keech and his principal assistant,
Vernon West, who sat in on the ses-
sion both concurred in the denials
given by Capt. Whitehurst and the
Commissioners, as did John Robert
son. engineer of streets, who also
participated in the review.
Gen. Kutz, Engineer Commissioner,
said that he had found, as a result
of the survey, no reason to make
any change in the system of draw
ing specifications or awarding con-
tracts for highway improvements.
Deny All Allegations.
Commissioner Mason declared:
I'VE deny the charges in toto. We
deny each and every one of the al
legations as spread in the report
presented to Congress by the cclI-
troller general. We have gone over
case history of each contract in
the light of the allegations made
by the controller general. We are
satisfied that the work was done
lawfully, that the accounting of the
work was lawfully done, that the
performance of work certainly was
in accordance with law and-we
should add-we are satisfied that if
other methods had been followed
the cost to the District would have
been increased by literally thousands
Of dollars. This thing (the Warren
report to Congress was absolutely
unwarranted."
Capt. Whitehurst said that COM
plants included in the Warren re-
port were based on distorted facts"
To this Commissioner Mason
added:
Facts used in the report were
distorted, and there were plenty of
facts in the files of the District gov
ernment which were not uSed-and
they apparently referring to two
Investigators from the G.. A. o.