The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1961-04-06


Waste Duplication, Mismanage-
mcnt"-It is believed that hun
dreds OF millions, possibly billions,
Of dollars can be saved in Govern
ment departments by the elimina-
ton OF waste. duplication, mis-
management A joint Congression-
al committee found what its chair
man said was "scandalous and APP
palling military waste" Now, of
course, there is going to be some
waste in an operation the size OF
the Defense Program (some S43,-
600, 100000 year,, but there is no
excuse for some OF the items
which were called to our atten-
ton Here are few samples:
Inventory showed the Depart
ment OF Defense with 1882, TAO
yards of cotton duck cloth above
its needs. The Post Office Depart
ment wanted this cloth for patch
ing mail bags, but refused to pay
the price which the Pentagon was
asking. The Defense Department
was stuck with the yardagc, and
the Post Office Department had
to go out and have new lot
made up.
The Air Force contracted for a
shipment of 4-foot cables with a
plug at each end, paying S1067 for
each one. The identical article
meanwhile was selling in retail
stores in Washington for S1.50
The Navy contracted for 500
small lamp sockets at S21.10 each,
for total of S1O,55O. Identical
items were located in a Maryland
electronics retail store selling at
Is cents apiece, or SIPS for box
of 500.
The Army's inventory listed s.
739 small wrenches priced at S1.84,
for a total of S10,55976 Similar
wrenches were available at not
more than .25c each in D. c. hard
ware stores.
The Defense Department holds
surplus sales regularly, but on
these sales it realizes only 2 per
cent of the original cost. 1t seems
to me that it would be the logical
thing to do to let other branches
of the government use surplus
items, even for nothing, instead of
having to buy them new
Washington, D. c., Residents
Given Vote-This past week the
38th State of the Union ratified the
23rd Amendment TO the Constitu-
ton which permits residents of
the District of Columbia to vote
in Presidential elections, and SO,
it becomes the law of the land. cat
least three fourths of the States
must ratify an Amendment to the
Constitution As the sponsor or
co-sponsor of virtually every meas
ure introduced in the Senate in
recent years to give the vote to
the District, l am gratified at this
long-overdue recognition of the
rights of 100000 Americans who
reside in the Nations Capital. l
look upon this as only the first
step. 1 shall continue to work for
home rule" for these people.
There is a popular misconception
about the financing of the City of
Washington. Many people think
that the Federal government pays
the expenses of the Nations Capt.
tai. On the contrary, owners of
homes and businesses are taxed at
least as much as they would be in
other cities of comparable size
TheiI taxes are 80 million dollars
more than they were just four
years ago. The people of Washing
ton are at disadvantage because
around 50 per cent of the land is
tax exempt and boundaries of the
District are fixed, blocking an
nexation of adjacent land, pro-
cedure which can be resorted to
by most other cities. Because of
the high production of the land it
occupies, the theory is that the
Federal government will make up
the tan loss by appropriations.
But it doesn't work out that way.
Since 1856 the Federal government
has been paving an average of