The Merry Major

Ever since two MPs chaired him out of his office a year ago and took over his Chicago plant, unforgiving Board Chairman Sewell L. Avery of Montgomery Ward & Co. has sniped indignantly at the Army with charges of bungling his business. Last week, Ward fired a new kind of ammunition.

In an angry letter to Major General Joseph W. Byron, top Army man at Ward's, the company declared that a ma jor in charge of its Jamaica, L.I. store had been carrying on scandalously. His drunkenness and disorderly conduct, said the letter (which was released to the press), had seriously lowered employe morale, endangered the good will of Ward customers, and caused loss to the company.

To back its complaint, Ward produced a long list of charges against the major, beginning with his alleged antics at an employe farewell party. At this party, said Ward, this officer:

P: Poured a pitcher of ice water over the flowered spring hat of an employe;

P: Haled male & female employes to the bar of the restaurant in which the party was held, and then required them to pay for the drinks;

P: Embraced and kissed female employes, to their obvious embarrassment;

P: Ordered rounds of drinks indiscriminately, then refused to pay for them.

Furthermore, said Ward, the major had often had liquor on his breath during business hours. He had forced his attentions upon female employes, saying that he was "lonely and wanted companionship."

In the Fitting Room. Topping everything was the incident of the fitting room. There, quivered the letter, the major had pawed a young lady customer who was trying on some clothes "under the pretense of seeing if the fit were proper."

The Army was not inclined to talk about this new tempest. The charges were serious, and were being investigated. Only the restaurant owner, and some of Ward's employes, seemed unconcerned.

Said the restaurant owner: "I observed the major all that night. I didn't see him do anything out of the way. And I wouldn't say he was drunk."

Said a salesman in furniture: "The first I heard about the bad conduct was what I read in the papers."

Said a saleslady in baby goods: "My morale is O.K."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.