The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-09-26
Uncle Sam Owes World War1 Debt
By FREDERICK c. oTHMAN


 United Press Stan Correspondent
 Washington, Sept, 26.-(UP)-If the Messrs, George A, Garden and Anderson T, Heard should live SO long, which Is doubtful (and say so with no knowledge of their heAlth) they may eventually collect e20,000,000 from their Uncle Samuel.
 All I know about them Is that they are humble citizens, who for c generation have been trying to collect what Is coming to them. Rep, Everett Dirksen of illinois, said so.
 The situation was one of those utterly incredible ones. Here was congress called back from its vaea- ton by President Truman to take up urgent problems of World War II and here was the house of repreSen- tatives setting itself Into an all-day father over the money the two men said the government cheated them out of in World War I, Boyl
 Garden and Heard, who were New York ship brokers In 1917, have tried ct every session Of congress to get the Se,ooo, GOO they claim the uncle iS owing them, plus six per cent interest, That's been going on now for % years, compounded, and according to Rep, Earl Q. Miehener of Michigan, so help him, the bill today ls better than S20,000, ,000. An- other @ years and it1l De the biggest atem facing the federal government.
 There were, In any event, seven Austrian ships, including the Anna, e rusty tub built in 1882, informed an America shortly before America entered the first World War, Heard and Garden bought all seven for $6,. 476,073 and sold 'em to Q syndicate of flnanciers for $7,37l,i4l. The syndicate also promised to give Car den and Heard five per cent of the profits for operating 'em.
 War was declared before the ink on the contract was dry; President Woodrow Wilson appealed for all available boats at cost, Garden and Heard turned over their seven ships and got the governments promise to let them operate them at the usual five per cent profit.
 That's the last they saw of their boats. Some were sunk by U-boatS; others were turned over to European allies. This made Garden and Heard sore; they figured their boats would have earned $50,O00000 and their percentage would have been S2,500,- 900, They said furthermore that the ships were vbrth $4,000,000 more than they were paid. Accordingly they submitted their bill, but all they received (aside from $550,000 expense money) was hocus-pocus. Congress after congress debated their claim, the court of claims finally turned em down upon what they said was a technicality and that, believe, brings us up to toe day.
 Before the house was a new bill to let the ship dealers appeal the decision to the supreme court. Un- fortunately 1t was l o'clock, or lunch time. It took two quorum calls to get the membership in to do busi- ness. Then came the arguments and a lot of the boys sneaked down for their dessert.
 Rep. Daniel A. Reed of New York said the way the plaintiffs had been treated was a national trag- edy; made Uncle Samuel look like a crook. Rep. John J. Cochran of Missouri, said they had no money coming. Many other congressman shouted into the microphone and the CPL, four hours later, lost out by a third roll call. l47 to l42.
 That means the plaintiff can come back next year, if they still think s20,000 900 is worth while: it'll prob- ably be $25,000.000 by then, any, how.