The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1946-01-25

7ouN
RenoaAs
hin WASHINGTON
! BY WoIter Sheod
a WNU Correspondent
The MIDDLE in War
Surplus Sales


end the entire situation surrounding
the disposal of more than hundred
billion dollars worth of surplus war
material Is a confused, disorganized
mess.
This is the conclusion OF your
Home Town Reporter after an in
vestigation, made because we have
received scores of letters from vet
Grams asking how they can obtain
surplus war properties. There have
been more than 100000 applications
from war veterans during the past
six months, all wanting to buy sur
plus property, mostly trucks, jeeps
and automobiles. Only in rare in
stances have they been able to do so.
Here's the situation about surplus
property. 1t is now scattered among
eight governmental agencies at 100
different points In the countrywide
construction Finance corporation for
consumer goods, producers goods,
war plants and aircraft; U. 8. Mari
time Commission for marine prop
erty; the state department for goods
overseas; the department Of agri-
culture for food and agricultural
products; the Federal Works admin
istration for community facilities
such as sewers and utilities; the
Federal Housing authority for hOus-
ing; and the department Of the in
terror for grazing and mineral lands
and all surplus goods in Hawaii,
Alaska and Puerto Rico. Then there
is the Surplus Property administra-
ton presided over by w. Stuart
SymingtOn, who, as administrator
makes policy, but who has absolute
ly no authority over any Of the 9th
er agencies selling the property.
War Assets Corp. Formed
And to make the confusion more
complete, President Truman, back
in mid-October announced the for
nation of the War Assets corpora
ton to be headed by 1t. Gen. Ed
mund B. Gregory, the qusrtermas-
ter-general of the army, to take over
all surplus property from the other
agencies, except the state depart
ment, on November 5. Then this
was postponed until December l,
then to January l, and now to Feb
ruary l. The transfer may take
place February under the powers
the President has under the new
governmental reorganization act.
But still there will be divided au-
thority, with General Gregory acting
as sales manager and Symington as
policy head, but with absolutely no
authority over what Gregory or any
one else does with War Assets cor
poration.
Reason for much Of the confusion
and misunderstanding is this divid-
ed authority, and the fact that no
where Is there an inventory Of the
property which is declared surplus.
Whenever, in the opinion Of the
army Or the navy, property Is no
longer needed, il is turned ever to
the various agencies as surplus. The
agencies then put it up for sale.
What happens when a veteran
goes to buy surplus war property?
Say he. is in the Philadelphia area.
He travels so or 100 miles to Phila-
delphia to buy q truck, a camera
and another gadget. First thing he
finds out is that some municipality
has priority over him and has taken
all the trucks fit to use. Then he
finds out that there are a hundred
other veterans there ahead Of him
bent on the same mission, and fur
Their, that what he expected to buy
for ten cents or less on the dollar
is much higher and is being sold on
q ceiling price fixed by OPA.
Central Authority Needed
ALI this after he has been shunted
around between the Smaller War
Plants corporation, the RFC Dis
posal agency, the department Of
commerce, and the navy material
Redistribution office. And he comes
away sore. Everybody he deals with
is mad and dissatisfied. Very likely
ne returns empty-handed.
Whether moving all these sales
agencies into War Assets corpora
ton will be help is a matter
"a COuJCCSuA GA SOAhAACl Va AbE " WAL
still operate the War Assets cor
pOration, and apparently General
Gregory is none too sanguine about
the success, for he is merely on loan
from the army.
What is apparently necessary is
a merger of Surplus Property adj
ministration and War Assets corpo-
ration. Symington, if he stays as
administrator, would be policy-mak-
ing head, and Gregory or someone
else would be sales manager. but
with the administrator in complete
charge for centralized authority.
AS a matter of fact, surplus prop
erty is a war baby that no govern
mental agency wants. Remembering
the scandals in surplus property aft
er World War I, the whole procedure
has been bound up in red tape by
the officials, for nobody wants to go
to jail as result of ''errors" in
surplus property sales this time.
1t seems to this reporter it is
time for the President to make this
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