The Wyandotte news-herald., 1946-03-21
Gilman Looks
Washington
BY Frederick C. Gilman

by fTeoerlck Y. Otnmdn
WASHINGTON. UP)-I thought
l had good news today for ragged
Americans. Now In not so sure.
Neither is Sen. James M. Mead
OF N Y
One week ago there appeared in
these precincts a dispatch about
100000 shirts and 5,5O0,0OO pairs
c. shorts declared surplus by the
Navy nearly six months before and
still doing nothing to ameliorate
male nakednesS.
The War Assets Corp, adver-
tiSed the shorts for sale the next
day; that, goodness knows, was a
start. The federal haberdashery
S2lesmen also told the war investi-
eating committee, headed by Sen.
Mead, that they were Sorrowed by
Iiy story They said they'd sold all
the shirts long age and could have
sold 10 times as many if they'd had
'em.
Only these shirts still are in the
packing cases in Navy warehouses
n Utah and New York, while the
experts shuttle the papers, claw
through the red tape, and announce
their hope that it won't oe much
longer before they reach 100000
masculine backs.
I'm not denouncing the WAC, or
the Navy. Neither is Sen. Mead. but
something somewhere is cumming
up the shirt situation. You'll get
some idea if you'll join me on the
trail Of one batch of blue cham
bray work shirts, which the Navy
declared surplus last Oct. 4
There were 8,296,903 shirts in
this consignment: they cost the
government 85 cents each, or a to-
tai Of 1881, ,86785. On Dec. 7, the
WAC decided to sell 'em TO whole
SalerS at So cents each, to large
retailers at Sc cents, and to small
retailers at 70 cents.
The orders flowed in, enough to
inundare the shit sellers. On Jan.
II the Navy changed its mind and
said it needed to keep 3,O60,O16 of
its shirts. One month later the
WAC counted is orders for the
5,066.887 shirts remaining. The Gus
toners wanted 48,254,335 shirts.
The WAC parceled out its shirts
as fairly as it could to veterans,
retailers, wholesalers and other
government agencies. Came the
Navy again, with another change
OF mind. 1t said it couldn't let 90
OF 2,031 shirts IN small sizes. The
WAC said, yes, but it already had
sold em.
The Navy said, all right, give us
back those little shirts and we'll
declare 100000 more as surplus.
That seemed fair enough. The WAC
made another recount of its orders
and gave each customer a few extra
shirts. That took time, because the
regional offices OF the sales depart
ment had to do the counting and
report back TO headquarters.
The regional shirt departments
then asked each client to mail in
his check for his shirts within
seven days. The shirt buyers did so.
The WAC forwarded the orders to
the Navy clothing depot in Brook
lyn.
The Navy mad decided meantime
to decentralize its shirt supply.
Some Of these shirts still were i'll
Brooklyn. Some were in Scotia,
N. Y. Some were in Clearfield,
Utah. That's what they remain.
Or so the Mead committee has been
informed.
The official explanation is a
magnificent example of govern
mental phrase making. 1t goes like
this: There has been a further
element Of delay in the transfer of
documents between these points"
meaning Brooklyn, Scotia. and
Clearfield. The report adds that it
hopes the transfer of documents
can be Speeded. So does Sen Mean.
He is delighted the shirts have
been sold.
And 1 Will be pleased still more"
he said, when these shirts are re-