Evening star., 1948-09-29
Navy Rebuyiing
Within Year Of
Surplus Sale
Release of Supplies
Ordered by Secretary
To Aid Economy
By John A. Giles
By John A. Giles

The Navy admitted today it is
buying shoes, socks. dungarees
and other clothing items within
a year after it released large
stocks of such wartime articles
as being in excess of its needs.
Rear Admiral E. D. Foster, chief
of the Bureau of Supplies and Ac-
counts, said the repurchases at in
f1ationary prices had been made
necessary because the Secretary OF
the Navy had ordered that materials
and products that were Gin excess
of reasonable short-term needs" be
declared surplus to aid the civilian
economy.
This was much the same eXplana-
tion for the current heavy buying
by the armed forces given yesterday
by Army Secretary Royal. The
War Assets Administration sold the
surplus" wartime supplies at 80
per cent or less of cost and current
replacement prices now run third
higher.
Had Reserve Plan.
Like the Army, the Navy had a
war reserve plan whereby suffi-
cient part of the residue of World
War II materials and equipment
were to be laid away for anticipated
needs over a specified time. How
ever, officials would not divulge the
details of this program nor how far
stocks had been cut back below
planned levels. The Army's, program
had called for retention of sufficient
stocks for 100000 men through
the middle of next year.
Although Admiral Foster main
tanned it was his desire to furnish
as full and complete information
on the Navys buying program las
possible in answer to The Stars
request, it required the better part
of week and several top-level
conferences to obtain today's report
The detailed explanatory state
ment released by the admiral
through the Departments public
information division said that only
with snap fasteners, khaki shirting
and socks had purchases been made
within short periods after similar
supplies had been declared surplus.
This time period ran around to 10
months
Twill Sold in 1947.
However, the declaration and re-
purchase list itself showed that
twill was being declared surplus as
late as February. 1947, and that
within seven months it was being
repurchased. In all, the Navy de-
clared surplus 7,828,886 yards of such
cloth, valued at $3,178,200. The
amount of the repurchases was not
divulged.
The Navy declared 100000 jerseys,
valued at 1921 900, in excess of its
needs in March, 1946, and was buy
ing them again last June. 1t released
liz, 200 cotton and wool undershirts,
valued at $3.50. .180, in February, 1947.
and was buying them again in
March this year.
In November, 1947, the Navy re-
leased to War Assets 100000 snap
fasteners as being in excess of needs.
Last month-less than a year later
the Navy repurchased $4,000 such
fasteners because. the bureau said,
contract for underdrawers pro-
vided for optional use of snap fast
eners or buttons
Khaki Shifting Repurchased.
A uniform change permitting
khaki uniforms for optional wear
caused the Navy to repurchase 113,-
$50 yards of khaki shirting in June,
1916. after declaring 1858 yards
surplus in October, 1945.
One of the largest Navy surplus
declarations was 8,342,035 dunga-
rees, valued at $11 1,528,802. The dec
larations were being made as late
as April last year, but the Navy
was buying them again in June this
year. Such surplus" trousers are
available in civilian surplus stores
A big Navy surplus item was
shoes-more than 100000 pairs
were considered surplus, some of
them as late as April, 1947. But
in January and again in February
this year, the Navy was busily buy
ing the same type again.
The bureau had three explana-
tions for it's shoe declarations and
subsequent repurchases: ID Civil
ian shortages: % excesses in GER
tain abnormal sizes in wartime, not