Evening star., 1944-03-10
Officer Discipline
Asked by Ferguson in
Tool Deal Criticism

A demand that the War Depart
ment apply to officers "some of that
military discipline that men in the
ranks are so familiar with was
made on the Senate floor yesterday
by Senator Ferguson, Republican, Of
Michigan, after he bitterly criticized
the Detroit sale by some Air Forces
officers of cutting tools for scrap at
q fraction of their value.
Where they (officers) hesitate to
do their plain duty for fear that
they are incompetent and will
blunder, I favor dischaiging them
for incompetence" Senator Fergu-
son declared after charging that the
officers had disposed of Government
equipment for $36 ,92464, or $1.684,-
21141 less than 1t cost.
Senator Ferguson said the tools in
question, piled up in an Army ware
house In Detroit, included both
standard cutting tools and some
special tools designed for manufac-
turing engines Last July 20, he
said, an order was issued by 1t. Col.
PaulM. Bonner In the War Depart
ment to scrap the tools as special
and obsolete"
sNanes Officers Responsible.
"The Detroit officers concerned
with the tool sale understood the
scrap order applied to all the tools
In the warehouse" the Senator said.
Those in charge could not deter
mine whether a tool was standard
or special. The tools had not been
sorted"
Senator Ferguson, named as re-
sponsible for the sale 1t. Col. r. E.
Cook, production officer at Detroit;
Second 1t. Robert G. Ludvik, as
signed to tool stores, and Capt L. L.
Larason, Detroit salvage ofhcer.
Il want to describe how this sale
of valuable Government property
was conducted" Senator Ferguson
said.
Here are the facts OF one sale
to the U. S. Tool and Manufactur-
Ing Co.: Carl D. Wall, a Mr.. Greig
and Mr. Noren went to the ware
house. They asked how they could
purchase some of the tools. They
were told by 1t. Ludvik to collect
what they wanted. They did so and
piled them along the wall.
Given Is Percent Discount.
Then they asked the lieutenant
how much the Government wanted
and he told them to make a bid.
One said $500, another said $3.50
and the third said $500. The lieu-
tenant said they could agree as to
what they were worth by adding the
three figures, dividing by three and
taking the average.
When they started to pay, he
said to take IS per cent OF as that
was the discount the Government
was giving. They did this and took
the tools away. 4
'Other sales were by the pound
and some Of the purchasers took
the tools they wanted from the
warehouse and had them weighed
elsewhere No Government oficial
supervised such weighing. In other
cases the weights were estimated
and the tools sold on that basis"
Senator Ferguson said the Gov
errIment later decided to cancel the
sales. but ut had no way to tell if it
was getting back all the tools"
Patterson Won't Defend Sales.
Senator Ferguson read ~ letter
from undefIeetary Of War Robert
p. Patterson which the latter
made It ciearsn did not defend1
the sale.
Mr.. Patterson asserted 1t .'has
been possible to recover, I believe"
s5 per cent Of the tools sold, and
the interest OF the taxpayer has
been substantially protected
Turning to the Senate. Senator
Ferguson remarked, The Under
secretary believes that 1t has been
possible TO recover l95 per cent of
an. unknown quantity"
Senator Ferguson said that since
the incident, COL. Cook had SUBJ
mitted his resignation and was
placed in an inactive status, 1t.
Ludwik had been honordbly dis
charged from the Army, and Capt.
Larason had been given an "ad-
ministrative adrnonitionp
Il believe that it Is time that
this wrist-slapping technique should
end" he declared