HOUSE UNIT SPURS PROBE OF SAMPSON

April 29, 1951

New York (P)--A House subcommittee went in its second day of private hearings here today, still in search of "some facts" concerning charges of waste in reopening Sampson, N. Y. military base.

So far, says the subcommittee chairman, Rep. L. Gary Clemente (D-NY), the facts do not back up the charges.

Clemente and Rep. James E. VanZandt (R-PA) constitute the subcommittee that held its initial closed session here yesterday.

The Army's district engineer, Col. E. P. Ketchum, faced a call to testify today. He was the contracting officer.

Except for Clemente's statement concerning the hunt for facts, the Congressmen had nothing else to say yesterday about their quest.

The group is looking into charges of manpower and materials waste in converting the former Sampson Naval Training Station to an Air Force Base.

The subcommittee held open hearings at Geneva, N. Y., Apr. 1 and 3.

Among records taken into the hearing room was pay data on Joseph Izzo, a plumbing foreman who earned $534 during a 110-1/2 hour week at the base.

At the Geneva hearings, Izzo told the subcommittee:

"I was told to see that the job was done, and I did."

The subcommittee also was interested in bids submitted by the Five Boro Construction Co. and the Malan Plumbing Co., both of New York City.

Clemente said the two companies bid $2,677,721 as their price for renovating the former training station. The government estimate of the cost was $3,238,901.

The two firms got the contract but eventually it was re-negotiated with other bidders taking part.