Evening star., 1946-07-22
War Properly
Worth 7 Billion
Sold din4Months
Gen. LittIejohn Takes
Over Surplus Agency
From Gen. Gregory

More than half of the four billion
dollars worth of surplus property
sold by the Government since June,
1914, was disposed of during the
last four months, the War Assets
Administration reported today as
Maj. Gen. Robert M. Littlejohn
formally succeeded 1t Gen. Ed
mund B. Gregory as administrator
During April, May and June, WAA
disposed of approximately $2,155,-
100000 in surplus on the basis of
original cost. Actual return to the
Government was about $697 900 900.
Although July totals are not avail
able, they have swelled the amount
substantially, WAA estimated.
DiSposals since June, 1914, and
through last month, amounted to
$4,268, 100000. OF this amount. more
than S3,742,000,000 represented the
original cost of surplus property
sold. The other $526, 100000 was the
original cost of materials scrapped
or otherwise disposed of. The re-
turn to the Government from these
two-year operations was 81 ,525, ,000,-
900, as Of June 80.
Sales of consumer, capital and
producers goods while Gen. Gregory
was administrator increased from
s243 100000 in March to $420, ,Oo0,-
600 last month. Total surplus prop
erty disposals in June amounted to
1929 ,000, 900, on the basis of original
cost, as compared with 1903 600 900
in January before WAA was estab-
lished as the principal disposal
agency.
Veterans Get rs Per Cent.
Purchases of consumer goods by
veterans averaged more than Is
per cent of total sales during the
past four months. WAA noted that
sales to veterans increased sharply
since May because of the Surplus
Property Act amendment raising
the priority position of ex-service-
men
Sale or lease OF some of the larg-
est Government-owned war plants,
such as the Geneva steel mill in
Utah and most of the surplus alum
mum plants, accounted for a sub
Stantial part of the increase in re-
cent weeks.
WAA reported that since estab-
lishment of the central agency last
March disposals of surplus aircraft
have amounted to $370,00O, 900.
Bids for sale or scrap of 21,000
combat planes originally costing So
900000,000 have been received, so
that only $500 tactical planes re-
main in the inventory. These are
being scrapped ito satisfy commit
ments already received" VIVA
stated.
Trainers Head List.
OF the 4,521 planes sold for use in
civil aviation during the last four
months, 3,400 were training planes
81l transports and ITO liaison and
other personal type aircraft. This
leaves about $500 planes of the SAL
able type in surplus stocks, the re-
port showed.
"In the four months q quickened
program for disposal of aircraft
components and parts resulted in
Slle consignment to authorized
agents of material having an orig
inal value of more than 5000, ,000,"
WAA announced.
This is more than half of the
total amount consigned to date, and
it freed 1,250,000 square feet of
warehousing space where this ma
terial had been stored. Aircraft
and component parts with an origi-
nal value of 27,500,00 were made
available to educational institutions
for instructional use"
Gen. Littlejohn, who was chief
quartermaster of the European The
ater of, Operations from June. 1912,
to December, 1915, was sworn in at
$50 am. today as war assets ad-
ministrator by Maj. Gen. Edward
F. Witsell, an old friend and fellow
South Carolinian.
In a breif ceremony in the Social
Security Auditorium, witnessed by
Gen. Gregory and several hundred
friends and WAA officials, Gen.
Littlejohn declared that team
work and the will to do will over
come the current obstacles in the
tough job ahead in surplus prop
erty disposal"