Tenth.  That the specifications were misleading, in that one item of copper wire, valued at $650,000, was omitted; also 5,000 electric lights, 5,000 tons of iron piping, 3,500 tons of other piping, the railway system on the exposition grounds, the fire apparatus, etc., were omitted.

    Eleventh.  That, according to an estimate made by several
    reputable contractors, the property sold was of the reasonable
    value of $1,955,000.

Twelfth.  That the Chicago House Wrecking Company, through undue advantage, obtained inside information as to the extent and value of the property to be sold, and thereby, to the material injury of the United States, secured a contract with the Exposition Company insuring a profit of more than $1,000,000.

The above matters have been called to the attention of the Commission by Mr. Frank E. Richey, attorney and counselor at law, Oriol Building, Sixth and Locust streets, St. Louis, Mo., who accompanies his statements with copies of the contract and specifications referred to and many statements which he believes corroborate the charges he presents.

As the Commission may feel called upon to refer to this important transaction in its final report, it desires to afford the Exposition Company an opportunity to submit such statement or to take such action as it may deem proper in the premises.

    Respectfully,

    THOMAS H. CARTER,
    President.

    Hon. DAVID R. FRANCIS,
    President Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company,
    St. Louis, Mo.

To the foregoing communication the secretary of the Exposition Company made the following reply: 

    ST. LOUIS, U.S.A., March 7, 1905.

SIR:  At a meeting of the executive committee of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company held this day the secretary, in the absence of the president, was instructed to prepare and to forward at once a response to the inquiries embodied in the letter of the National Commission bearing date of February 28, as regards the disposition of the salvage of the exposition.

At a meeting of the board of directors of the Exposition Company held September 13, 1904, on the recommendation of the executive committee a special committee on disposition of salvage was provided for “to consider and report at a date as early as practicable a plan for disposing of the property of the Exposition Company.”  Records and correspondence of the Exposition Company upon the disposal of the property are voluminous and definite.  They show frequent meetings of the salvage committee, together with progress reports, consideration, and action by the executive committee and by the board of directors at almost every meeting, until, on the 13th of December, the salvage committee reported its recommendation, with the approval of the executive committee, to the board of