James R. Harris letter to J.A. Kissick - November 16, 1918

Transcript

Off Sunday Lake Personal and confidential. [November] 16, 1918. Mr. J.A. Kissick, Comptroller, The Lake Torpedo Boat Company, Bridgeport, [Connecticut] Dear Mr. Kissick: - Received yours of [November] 14th with copy of Public Act #182, Sixty-Fifth Congress, this morning and greatly appreciate your kindness in the matter. I have noted your conversation with Captain Potter and that action has been taken by the Government where sub-contractors have requested high prices, and I think where reasonable prices have not been submitted it is only just and fair that some method be used whereby manufacturers would not be allowed to profiteer in connection with war contracts. In our particular case it is not the intention of our Company to refuse to build the engines at a reasonable profit, and if the Compensation Board awards us a reasonable price for the engines there will be no disposition on our part to refuse to enter into a contract for the engines. The items usually taken into consideration by the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts as being a legitimate expense against such a contract do not apply to the building of our engines and I believe it would be best to wait until the Compensation Board makes its decision before doing anything further in the matter. I especially desired to know exactly what position we could take in case the Compensation Board did not in our opinion decide upon a reasonable price for the engines, and just what our rights were in the matter. I fully believe that if the Compensation Board should decide upon a price which we considered unfair that we can take the matter up through the Navy Department with the Compensation Board and have the matter straightened out to our mutual satisfaction. With kindest regards. Yours very truly, 1st V.P. & Gen. Mgr. JRH-C