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Show U. S, USES If! Ill GLA1 PAY. mwm csyc OmiiiHii! diild i Laxity in Guarding of the Government Interests in Settlements Is Charged. Submission of Transactions Made and Tending to Board for Review Urged. WASHINGTON', !-. 1 t). ICrpre- M.-ijt;u I vo fJi -a hits: if l:i-)iiitit;;ni, 1 ill lioi1-;, cliaii niitn of tho r-oriunit t o itivoKti'itt-iii m-ridil uiN-s by tho v,;ir driLr hiu-nL, in :t K .:(' -h tn;l;iy in tho ho list) rei ti;r:iU:il rj,ir,-H that intf'fc:HH of tllO KOVi'niliient In iniuiy war claim fc''Ul-m-nt s have not hf.-n Hiifi'ii'-icnl !y iiat'ilcl, adding that "ill i many cu.siiti tho government lian been du- i privcd ut liiro sutiiH of money to which ; It rightfully is cntiMed." j Lurtfu HuniH liavo ixmn allow c A con- tractora through unfair salvayo values for ' raw inatoi-ial.s and fovernrnnnt officials, ; :harf?f;tl with the ri-Hiionsihllity of adjust- ! InfC claims have not exercised sufficient v t fallal ico in tt'otoctirifc overntnont in- t'-ru.sts, Mr. Oraham charged. He uryed ! HubmiHsion of all claims settled or pend ing with tho war department to an Im- ; partial board fur review and final settlement. set-tlement. Report Incorrect. "Krom Secretary linker's report of aot-tlemeiKs," aot-tlemeiKs," Chairman Graham said, "tho original answer was erroneous and the I conimltteo instructed and accountant to review the figures tfiven by the secretary, i The uceouiitaiit reported that the amounts, I an Riven by Secretary llaker, are olf bal- j a nco from $ 1 V i.,5sii.;; V as a minimum to $184,940,JiaS as a .maximum." Fifty per cent of "informal"' contracts suspended by tho armistice have been ad- justed with damages to tho war depart- merit, Kepresvii tatlvc Graham cun tinned, i "In in vest ly a tin i; tho various matters it has not been possible to find anywhere i a complete record of the transaction," he j said. "There were private conversations by tho various and so-called technical 1 I experts with merchants and business men I and with claimants, as a result of which claims were allowed and large sums of money paid. When it is attempted to ascertain the exact basis of these settlements, set-tlements, no record is to be found.' Copper Producers Overpaid, Representative Graham attacked the method of sale by the war department of: 3 00. 000,000 pounds of surplus copper held j ' when tho armistice was signed. Copper; producers, he said, were paid laro sums j I in excess of correct amounts due for gov- j I eminent copper during the war. i ! "It appears that the producers in the sale of their product through the "United ' Petals company secured great and sub- ; stantial profits and in the purchase of ; i . .. it,-. ?:--;.;!: ,.',r-r from t'.e ffovermr-nt j t : ;L in-r-'Y, p:Lir.-:d ; 'j - ,- r I made it posL'.ie ! (..rr.t;.i c..;. ; rod j-(:.--s to Ma..- '.i ri b-'''t .fj.:., - ire ,r:-'-e of I ..,'r. : r ' ,..- ;. . !: t.:n J?::ii V,' 1 ': ; :-l r::. . ' ':: ! s;i'.':-:::g of Us a r- '. ... t'j a i,'j.:i.j::.a;..(-- u of h prod i:-7." ; U. S. Agents Lax, I.s Charge. : "! r. i-i , : ; t.r--:;T ," -,:' : : '.' J he r-po-t, "!.:u '-UiLli OI". !:!;: iLli'i J-.g- U!S Of t:e i i o.'-d -s :j v.vm- i.n.ir-.-d with d . : i 1 l r---i.'.r.-i!(::;tv ::: I t maU-r, fa.h-d ' hv th- t:.:sjvs i .. ho-i:.l rave d-jue t-j pror.e.-r. h : i .-r ut the irovei n- n -nt or 'o:.:.;v,-d ti r. j .-otif-d-raU-.l w.rh or :i-: so 'iir-ri-'Si of th-ir d ::h-s a,-? to ca,l for t:.e most severe :V. " L''l rn, " ;,.,.-,. -i ' -r : t a ' i ' e r;a;-rr-t.t, Tnrjs'-'r-e, ni-r:o ni-r:o i-iiv lu'-mij.-r of l:ir- r-() rn m i t lu, :e-, :e-, ' i.d.-d r h: M.-r;-"d of K'-tUing eiai.us I l,y t;,.. fl.-parton--;. St'i t..-:n.-i,t :ih Jres-Ivaugh'in H r. - - i company. :dr. fjari-t-rt said, was n:adf on L:io hasiri of a chart showing prod Lifr.iun tiiat w;is possibh' from oneta-riori, oneta-riori, twenty-:our ho.n-s a day, every day in ! lie y'':tr," 1 1; i-oi.ced.d the settle-ififiit settle-ififiit w;i s too ia rgt.'. but said, "there v. as not the slightest, justification for n- I imitations of i ra ';d against the officer I v. h., negotiate I it." The I'OJtimi t te-i. lie conl inued, had "rakt-d the war d'-ria rtrnent from end to end with a fineroot'.i comli." "if th-re had bo.-n ;ny specific fraud," Garieti said, "ur anytl"dng for which Secretary Sec-retary Hak-'r could he held accountable, '))-. coinn:ittrje would have discovered it. It is n r- flection on th.e intelligence of the majority men er;? as lawyers to be forced to bring ln-fore the house such ;i 'cu:-a I Sons and findings a.s aro contained in iiiis report." |
