Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-12-27
Service Merger Fight
Slated for Renewal
In Mid-January
BY the Associated Press.

! by the ASSOClhLeQ FTekSs
The congressional controversy
over merger of the armed forces will
be resumed in mid-January before
the House Expenditures Committee
Representative Randolph, Demo-
crat, of West Virginia reported to-
day the group has agreed to open
hearings after the holiday recess
on his bill for a unified command
The measure would set up a
single Department of National De-
tense, with Undersecretaries for
War, Navy and Air, as urged re-
Gently by President Truman.
The committee also will consider
bills by Chairmen May of the Mill
ltary Affairs Committee and Vinson
Of the Naval Affairs Committee for
a separate air arm, under a Secre-
Rry for Air. Under the May -Vinson
plan the separate secretaries for
War and Navy would be maintained.
Senate Action Planned.
The Senate Military Committee
already has held extensive hearings
on the merger proposal, and Senator
johnson, Democrat, of Colorado re-
Gently predicted the group would
have a measure embracing Mr.
Humans request ready for action
by February l.
Mr.. Randolph coupled his an.
nouncement of House committee
hearings with release of correspond.
ence in which he asserted the Gov.
eminent has lost millions of dollars
because of competitive bidding be.
tween the Army and Navy for hard.
to-get products.
His statement was made in a let.
ter to H. Strive Hensel, Assistant
Secretary of the Navy. Mr.. Hensel
had written Mr.. Randolph that
statements of the services bidding
against one another Cannot be sup
ported"
Specific Cases Cited.
In reply, Mr.. Randolph listed these
four cases which he said proved his
contention:
l. THE Army and Navy both
placed orders for 3,000-gallon water
tanks with the w. w. Mcfarland Co.,
Miami, Fla. The Navy was pay.
ing 10 per cent more than the Army
for essentially the same item, and
therefore the manufacturer concen-
trated on meeting the Navy sched-
ules.
2. During 1914 the Army and
Navy were engaged in scheduling
engines and engine spare parts with
manufacturers in the Detroit area
There was direct conflict between
the services. Manufacturers could
not meet both schedules and the
War Production Board had to step
in to effect coordination.
3. The Haslett Chute g. Con.
veyor Co., Cakes, Pa, was making
MA pontoon bridge parts for the
Army and fighter aircraft wing tips
for the Navy in January May, 1945
Strong competition existed for IA
cilities and for labor and as resul,
the production for both services fell
behind schedule.
Lack of Coordination.
4. Medical and drug supplies
were purchased by the Army and
the Navy with little or no co-ordina-
ton. Out of 266 contracts checked
u had been placed with the same
contractor by the two serSces."
Mr.. Randolph told Mr.. Hensel
that after the joint Army-Navy
procurement agency was formed in
1945 it saved SIS 100000 in the first
three. months of operations. He
added:
"A survey of only a small portion
of the field reveals probable savings
under unificatien of some $8,O65,-
$4,000 over a ttree-year period"
Mr.. Hensel had commented In his
letter that statements by others re-
garding possible savings of items of
billions of dollars" under a unified
command were "extravagant and
uncomfortable"