Evening star., 1945-09-18
Surplus Goods Going
To Civilians Quickly,
Patterson Tells Inquiry

The Army is making swift prog
ress in turning over surplus supplies
and material to civilian use, Under
secretary of War Robert P. Patter-
son today told the House Military
Affairs Committee.
Testifying on the Army's plan for
disposing of surplus goods, Mr.. Pat
terson said during the last two weeks
of August mare than $400 000, 900
In Army Service Forces property in
the United States had been declared
surplus and turned over to Govern
ment disposal agencies. More prop
erty has been released for civilian
use this month, but figures are not
yet available, MIR. Patterson declared.
Lists Scarce Releases.
AS an example of scarce civilian
items released by the Army during
the two weeks after the end of the
war, the committee was given the
following figures:
Three hundred thousand bath
towels, 100000 bed sheets, 81, ,487, 900
feet of copper wire, 1900 crawler
tractors, 464,000 flashlights, 1863 900
fountain pens, 100000 pounds of
laundry soap powder and chips)
10000 mattresses, LOO microscopes.
$4,000 radio tubes, 6,602,0O0 razor
blades packages of five), 1922 900
feet of rope, 1,818000 shaving
brushes. 29.700 sulfanilamide q .Ooo
tableD bottles, 425 900 tires and TO-
600 trucks.
Gen. Brehon Somervell, ARMY
Service Forces head, told the COM
mittee ASF procurement schedules
for the next year will be reduced Sc
per cent under the rate planned had
Japan not surrendered. He said
this represented cutback of more
than ,000,000,0O0.
Equipment Sent for Cash.
Gen. Somerven gave the following
figures on percentages of reduction
for the year:
Chemical warfare, SO per cent:
Ordnance, 81 per cent; Signal, 90
per cent; engineers, 81 per cent;
quartermaster. IA per cent; medical,
SO per cent, and transportation, 81
per cent.
The committee was told the Army
acted Immediately after the end of
the war to stop virtually all produc-
tion of military supplies, and the
shipment of materials to the Allies.
Gen. Somervell said some trucks
and other Army equipment still are
being sent to the Allies on a cash
basis. This is handled through the
Federal Economics Administration
Gen. Somervell said.
Gen. Somervel declared it was the
Army's policy to do everything it
can to dispose of surplus supplies
not needed by the Army.
Obsolete After Storage.
We are doing everything to COM
bat what we call the attic philoso-
phy'-that is, storing everything we
can lay our hand on up in the attic"
he said.
The general declared this policy
was being followed because the cost
of storage would be tremendous
and most of the supplies would be
obsolete by the time they would
be needed again
Both Mr. Patterson and Gen.
Somervell told the committee the
Army intended to liquidate and set
tie all contract claims by industrial
firms by Christmas. Much progress
already has been made along these
lines to make equitable settlements
with firms who suffered economic
hardship because of examinations
brought on by the abrupt end of
the war, the committee was told.
The hearings were called by Chair
man May after Mr.. Patterson had
expressed the War Departments s
desire to explain its surplus disposal
plan to Congress. Another witness
to be heard is Gen. Ira c. Eaker,
deputy commanding general of the
Army Air Forces. The committee
will resume hearings at 10:30 am.
tomorrow,