Evening star., 1951-12-30

With continued OacK-preaklng
defense appropriations and expendi-
lures in prospect, the Senate Armed
Services Subcommittee, which keeps
a critical eye on military spending,
has mapped out an ambitious pro-
gram for riding herd" on waste and
corruption in the rearmament pro-
gram in the months ahead.
1.-The campaign to eliminate waste
from our defense program must
become a national obsession," Chair
man Lyndon B. johnson, Democrat,
of Texas said in statement to The
Star few days ago. 1T is already
an obsession with the Senate Pre-
paredness Committee.
I'VE believe that we can perform
no greater service for the United
States in this coming year than to
erect safeguards against the misuse
of, the taxpayers defense dollars by
profligates, spendthrifts and influ-
ence peddlers."
Soon after Congress reconvenes in
January it will receive President
Truman's budget requests for the
1858 fiscal year starting next July /.
The Presidents budget message is
expected to call for new record
breaking peacetime outlay for de-
fense, exceeding even the staggering
$575 billions for strictly military
needs voted by Congress for the cur
rent fiscal year.
Shift in Emphasis
The subcommittee program, as out
lined at present, will reflect further
shift in emphasis from efforts to
eliminate bottlenecks in the supply
of critical materials, which marked
the subcommittee efforts in the
first months of its existence, to posi-
tive and persistent steps to prevent
waste and ineficiency in the armed
services.
The subcommittee was formed in
August. 1850, shortly after the out
break of the Korean fighting. The
members estimate-they say it is a
conservative eStimate-that approx
mately So billion has been saved the
taxpayers through the subcommittee S
efforts. Much more might be added
in an indirect fashion if one would
consider the impact the subcommit-
tees watchdog" attitude has had on
those charged with the military
spending.
The subcommittee took a leading
part in getting the country's Synthe-
tic rubber program reactivated, and
this, it is estimated by the Subcom-
mlttee'S staff, has led to a saving of
at least S1.2 billion. Natural rubber,
they point out, was selling at IS cents
pound, while the synthetic pro-
duct costs around 25 cents. The
saving effected by resorting to use
OF synthetic rubber is indicated on
the basis of national consumption
OF about IL million tons of rubber d
year.
Another half billion dollars, it is
estimated, was saved when defense
officials, at the insistence of the
Johnson subcommittee, stopped the
stockpiling of tin when the metal
was selling at price of So a pound
Since then the price has skidded to
about SLIP cents pound and de-
tense officials are hopeful that the
price will not 60 up to its former
nigh figure when buying of the meta
is resumed.
Steel Pipe Story
The subcommittee active interest
in defense spending also is credited
with blocking the sale of $3.50, ,00t
worth of airplane propellers anc
$85O.000 worth of airplane engines;
the proposed sale by the Army OF
$4,000 worth of new uniforms mis-
takenly offered for disposal as usec
clothing, and an Air Force purchase
of IL million pairs of gray dres.
gloves costing $1.10 to $135 a pair.
This latter project came to the
attention of the subcommittee
through tip from a manufacturer
An inquiry was sent Immediately t
the Air Force. The Air Force imme.
diately stopped the purchase pend.
ing an investigation and later can.
celed it altogether as unnecessary
1t has been disclosed already hov
the subcommittee stepped in ant
halted the use of scarce steel pip,
for road markers at the Robbins All
Base in Georgia. Behind that, how
ever. is an amusing story not previ
ously revealed. The tip about tn,
steel pipe came from a disgruntlet
enlisted man, with the usual G.
gripes. He wrote the subcommitte,