Evening star., 1947-04-04
Looling; Of 5upplies
By FiIipinos Recalls
U. s. Gangsier Days
Byspencer Davis
A..oeio.sd Press For.isn Correspondent

A.seeicied Press Foreign Correspondent
MANILA. April 4.-Gang murders,
hi-jacking, bribery and shakedowns
as pernicious and widespread as
any ever practiced in the United
States during prohibition have ac-
companied the multimillion dollar
black market in American Army
supplies in the Philippines.
Now a gigantic cleanup campaign
Is on, but the terroristic robbers are
not quelled completely, and many
American civilian employees go about
In fear for their lives.
The rampant robbery game. which
has been blooming ever since the
japanese surrender, is perhaps best
shown by the typical operations OF
one ring, known as the Gung Ho
gang. It became the terror Of En-
gineering Base IA until seven or
eight of its members were killed
within the past two months.
Manila police say that the gang
had been smashed, but there are
skeptics who insist it Is merely lying
low for time.
Headed by Brothers.
Gung Ho was-or is-headed by
two brothers, both notorious gang
sters. These two obtained jobs as
security guards" for the United
States ARMY, and thus gained entry
into Army 6epots. Army inyestiga-
tors have learned that, with prodigal
use of false acquisitions, Gung Ho
men made off with the following
material
One hundred circular saws which
sold for an estimated $4,000, a
stock of two-man saws which netted
$1,000, electric wiring, bulbs and
switches, $1,000; gas cylinders,
$12,500; sheet iron and plywood,
$4,000; shoWels and axes, $4,000;
plate glass, $1,000.
Investigators say this bulky ma
terial passed through the gates
aboard Army trucks hired by the
gang, who paid the Filipino drivers
$3.50 a load. The investigators have
caused the discharge of an Amer
lean civilian who was chief of the
stock control section of the engineer
base where the losses occurred.
Gang Murder Charged.
Once a rival gang tried to muscle
In on the Gung Ho racket. On the
night of February 10 one of the
brothers heading Gung Ho shot and
killed four men inside a warehouse.
When Manila police filed man.
slaughter charges against him, he
produced credentials showing he
was employed as a guard and thus
was in the clear. Army investi-
gators called 1t gang murder.
A number of civilian employees
who work at Army bases under civil
service contracts have petitioned to
be released from the contracts so
they can go home, declaring, "our
lives are in jeopardy"
Large payoffs allegedly were made
to former Manila police officer
who was in charge of depot guards. /
1t is common occurrence for |
truckload of acknowledgements
toned supplies to leave base intact
and reach its destination in looted
condition, II at all.
Losses long have been notorious
from the high-octane gasoline tank
farm at Bataan. which is connected
to Clark Field by 6inch pipeline.
Pipeline Carefully Tapped.
The pipeline is tapped scientifically
by big-scale operators who obviously
know their business. Joints are
loosened in just the right fashion
and holes are drilled so that the
gasoline streams into waiting So
gallon drums with a minimum of
loss to the thieves.
This loss is almost constant. A
typical recent investigation disclosed
80 drums being filled in this way at
point mile and half from the
storage tanks.
Brig. Gen. George D. Shea, opera
tions officer of the Philippines
Ryukyus command, has been given
the big Job of halting the vast
diversion of Army property through
out the islands. He Is optimistic
that conditions can be improved
quickly by stern measures. With
proper guards, he believes major
looting can be stopped within two
weeks. II