| Show COMPANY PURr PURE AND President Rice of Electric Boat Concern Before House I Committee I I Washington March 31 The Investigation tion of the charges made by b Representative tire tive Lilley against a the methods pursued by b the Electric Boat company in securing legislation was resumed by b the special commission of the house Jouse today Isaac L Rice nice president of that company pro pronounced pronounced pronounced as a malicious He lie the state statement ment mont of Representative Lilley i that the Electric Boat company compan had made con continued continued continued and repeated efforts to Influence the action of or the navy nen department Isaac L pr of the tho Electric Boat company was the only witness at atthe a athe atthe the afternoon Mr Olmsted read re d the thc charge made by Mr Ir Lilley that the continued and repeat repeated ed od efforts made by representatives of the I Electric Boat company compan to Influence the i action of the navy department and such efforts In the past were so persistent J and ane I notorious as to call forth the condemnation cond tion and criticisms of f high officials of the tho navy department nt I Absurd and False I The Thc only influence we have used with the navy naT department replied Mr lr Rice Is to build the tho th best beat boat hoat The Tue rest r st of or II the th story Is ts a malicIous lie He Regarding the charge that the Electric I Boat company compan has suppressed competition lion tion Mr Rc Rice said that is so utterly ab absurd absurd absurd surd it sounds like me ravings He de charge that the company compan has hasI I subsidized newspapers as RS the purest in invention invention invention Mr Rice denied that the company compan had made any an contributions to the campaign fund of any an members of congress or had helped to defeat any member which did not favor submarine legislation He claimed that the reports derogatory derogator to the time Electric Boat company com pan were being circulated by b members of the Lake Boat company and while he absolved Mr Ir Lil LII Lilley LIlle ley le from any an ulterior motive In bringing these charges he maintained that he had gotten his information from the Lake people Claims to Have Been Approached Mr Ur Rice claimed that he had been ap HP approached approached on four occasions by representatives representatives tives of o the Lake company compan with propositions proposition propositions tion to buy buyout out that company compan or to merge the time two companies and form a new one The representatives of ol the Lake company who he said approached him mm were U G Brown and Charles R Flint both of or New N w York Mr Ir Rice said that he declined all the propositions S Mr Ir Rice testified that he was given to understand by Mr Brown that these pro proposals proposals proposals were made contingent to the pres present present present ent investigation being stopped that It could be stopped stopp d if the consolidation were C effected He said through United States Senator Bulkeley of Connecticut replied Mr Ir IrRice Rice Refused to Answer Mr Ir Lilley through the thc committee sub submitted submitted a It st of l questions to Mr Rice dealing largely with the technical details of submarine boats names of o foreign I stockholders in the Electric company amounts paid different attorneys of the company com pan etc Mr Rice declined to an answer answer answer the questions regarding foreign stockholders and fees tees paid to attorneys although he said he would give this In Information Information information formation to the committee for its secret perusal erusal His failure to answer these thes ques questions questions questions will be considered by the commit committee committee tee at a later date Among the questions qu prepared by b Mr 11 Lilley and propounded to Mr fr Rice were a number relating to the alleged employ employment employment ment meat of a woman by the Electric Boat company to Influence e members of con congress congress congress gress Both Mr Rice and Mr Ir Olmstead of the committee objected object d to this class of questions which Mr Rice RIco denounced as outrageous and a perfect lie Mr Rico Uce Jlee denied that large sums of oC money mOne had bad been bC 1 spent in Washington for champagne or 01 for entertainments of members or of congress or officials of the navy department or that his lila company ever made a gIrt gift to any an member of or con congress congress gress or r any navy official |
