Evening star., 1945-07-22
Senator's Will Begin
Hearings Tomorrow
On RedepIoyment
By ]. A. O'LEARY.

ator George, Democrat, of Georgi
urged that seven captured Germa
ships be put in service to retur
$4,000 more men month.
In announcing the hearing, Chail
man Mead told the Senate tt
agencies handling redeployment I
the European armies are doing
good job, but that better work
possible through closer co-ordina
ton.
During the spirited exchange, til
Senate heard that both the Nav
and the Office of Defense Trans
portation are irked with the Arm
and complaining that the return c
soldiers from Europe has been &C
CELEBRATED without advance motto,
thus swamping transportation facil
tiles.
Forrestal Complaint Cited.
Senator Mead said ODT Directo
J. Monroe johnson had testified tn
Army brought 100000 more thai
they told him they would" Senate
Mead also said Secretary of tn
Navy Forrestal told us that he wa
not informed and that he though
1t was some of his business"
The debate was touched off b,
Senator Lucas, Democrat, of Illi
nois when he arose to compliment
the Army and to read a letter from
j, j. Pelley, president of the Asso
citation of American Railroads, tes
tifying that the redeployment o
troops is ahead of schedule.
When Senator Lucas chided thu
Mead committee for issuing pres
release on the subject several day
ago in advance of public hearings, h
brought several members of tina
committee to their feet.
Brewster Expresses Regret.
One of them, Senator Brewster
Republican, of Maine, expressed re-
gfet that the Illinois Senator hac
raised the issue at this time, be-
cause he said some members of thu
Mead committee were in the mids
of efforts to postpone the public
hearings at the request of both the
Army and the ODT.
"I can see no alternative now bu
to GO on with the hearings Sena'
tor Brewster said.
Senator Lucas replied that tht
committee should have an oper
hearing and let the Army answer
the complaints.
Railroads Need Workers.
Senator Mead explained his com
mittee recently held preliminar!
closed conferences with officials OF
the subject and was told by OD7
that unless additional personnel i
obtained, the railroads could no
meet the redeployment job.
II wish they would bring in
million more than they hat
planned" Senator Lucas interjected
adding that if he had been over
seas for a year-and-a-half, h
would rather do his waiting in
camp in this country.
But you can't get them to ;
camp in this country if you brini
them to the docks without rajiroat
facilities" Senator Mead rejoiEed.
Agrees on "By-Passing."
Senator Lucas agreed thai ther
may have been "a little by-passinl
of one department or another" bu
insisted the condition has beer
overemphasized.
Senator Kilgore, Democrat, o
West Virginia, also on the Meat
Committee, said he too, wanted II
see the boys brought home quickly
but added, there would be tn
worst howl in the world If 20,
dumped 1000 men day on tn
streets of New York, with no wa.
to get home"
This prompted Senator George t.
observe that there is more thai
one port of debarkation in TIN
United States, and with increased
shipping facilities it is not neces'
sary to land all the troops in ont
port" He then mentioned the sever
captured German ships, and sait
he understood they are seaworthy
George Argues for Ships.
"1t is true" continued Senator
George, "that Great Britain anc
Russia have an interest in thos'
ships. Their replacement value Il
approximately 1000 900. We Ger.
tainly have an equal interest In tht
ships. Great Britain and Russis
owe us money on lease-lend and fol
various other causes, and ther'
would seem to me to be no reasor
on earth why our authorities do no
ask for these ships, which canno
presently be used prof1tably b,
Great Britain or Russia, and pu
them into the service of bringing
back our men,"
Senator George said he coult
think of nothing more DESTRUCTIVE
Of the morale of the men and thei
families than to know that "the.
are cooling their heels when tn
battle has been over for more thai
a year, before many of them vii
actually set sail for America"
Senator Mead later told report
ers that he believes all ships bein,
reconditioned In Europe should b
used for the movement of troops o
the United Nations before they ar
utilized for trade.
McKellar Censures Pay Plan.
In arising to indorse the Georg
speech, Senator McKellar, Demo
crat, of Tennessee, charged tina
American soldiers in France are be
ing deprived of part of their pa,
because of a requirement that the.
be paid in francs.
"I invite attention to the fac
that France requires that we pa.
our soldiers in French money" salt
the Tennessean. "She claims tina
under some sort Of an agreemen
made with somebody, somewhere
that no one seems to know mucl
about-the monetary exchange /
on a basis of so to l for Frencl
francs"
He called it "an outrage upol
America"
Meanwhile the Army Transporta
ton Corps disclosed that the rat
movement OF wounded soldiers wi