The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1944-10-13
Colonel Tokes-On
Giant Repair Job
BY MARJORIE COLLIER
United Press staff Correspondent

BY MARJORIE COLLIER
United Press staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON - U.P - The
operator of, the biggest repair
business in the world reached
over his desk and gave me a
hearty MISUNDERSTANDING
long unended rip in his officers
! blouse.
Although he's chief u. S.
Army repairman, 1t. Col. J. Nj.
Kenderdine did not have time
10 sit down at a quartermaster
sewing machine and mend his
shirt. He was too busy keeping
his customers - 100000 CTS
and officers-satisfied.
Kenderine, a Texan who can
handle a government red tape
as easily as ornery horses. has
made things hum since he re-
Gently became chief of the Quar-
termaster Corps repair depart
| ment.
WATCHES ARMY DISCARDS
Biggest problem RENDERING
has confronted so far is keeping
! the Army from throwing away
disable stuff-like good CT shoes
with a small hole inside of the
upper. Recently, he rescued So
900 pairs from the salvage heap.
At II cents pair, the cost of
packing and shipping, they'll be
shipped to Greece by the u. S.
government.
The shipment Of discarded CT
shoes to Greece, negotiated
through the Embassy in Wash
ington, is only the beginning of
the program to send clothing 10
the liberated countries of Eu-
rope. In the next few months,
100000 pairs of shoes that do not
meet any Army requirements
will be sent to Europe.
Kenderine had on a pair of Of
ficers' low shoes but he swearS
by army repair jobs, insists that
the rebuilt CT high shoe is the
most comfortable piece of foot
gear in the world. To date, the
Army has rebuilt 5000, 900 pairs
of shoes, saving 70 cents on
every pair and much critical
leather. These "rebuilts" are is
sued first to new soldiers-the
uppers already have been brpk-
en- in and make marching easier
for the recruit.
UNDERWEAR TO STOVES
The biggest repair business in
the world handles everything
from cotton underwear to gas
stoves. Kinderdine showed me
a rusty field stove that the
Army had saved from the
scrap pile and would cost only
SIS to repair. He said the quar-
termaster corps has mobile
units overseas that go up to the
front with repair equipment.
And in this country $50 regional
repair shops are busy keeping
CT Joe and his equipment in
trim.
Before the soldier goes over
seas, he weeds out all his gear
that isn't combat servicea BILE"
and turns it in at a regional re-
pair shop. Torn shirts, broken
cartridge belts, all are put back
in shape again, packed and ship
ped to depot stock. Every piece
of repaired Army equipment
that goes back into stock will be
used by the Army again.
Kinderdine said the Army al
most was caught short in Febru-
airy, 1943, when they received
single order from North
Africa for 100000 shirts. 1t
looked as if there wouldn't be
enough shirts Tor both soldiers
and civilians, and the War Pro-
duction Board was getting ready
to ration clothing. The Quarter
master Corps launched a cloth
ing repair plan and averted ra-
tioning by saving millions of
items Of clothing that industry
would have to produce for the
Army.
MILLIONS OF
ITEMS RESTORED
The figures are staggering:
100000 items of clothing,
100000 pairs of shoes and
IL, 100000 items of equipage
and general supplies were re-
turned TO Army issue by the
$50 regional repair shops during