Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-21


en- ships where their building does not
Interfere with the government pro-
gram Where permission is given for
wooden construction preference VIII
be given to American owners
Not Favorable to New Yards.
The building of new shipyards. gen
| orally, will not be encouraged Inc
shipbuilding facilities of the country
having been largely increased by the
board within the last six months, says
the announcement, sit win be the pohcy
| of the board hereafter to devote itself
to the expansion of these new yards and
the old yards rather than to the crea-
ton of any further new yards, unless
i it is found necessary to do So
Proposals without number for the
building of ships for private account
have been turned down by the board
on the ground that large amount OF
private construction would disrupt la
Dor conditions and interfere seriously
with the boards flow of materials to
yards engaged on government work.
Many of the proposals came from repre-
sentatives of foreign governments.
Inquiry in Welcomed.
Seldom has any group of government
officials welcomed a congressional in
vestigation so cordially as does the
United States Shipping Board. Chair
man Hurley reflects this attitude in ex-
pressions of entire Willingness to tell
Congress all he knows about the prog
ress of the shipbuilding program.
The hearings are welcomed as
means of informing the country exactly
what tremendous strides have been
made in the face of difficulties. Ship
ping board members do not minimize
these difficulties, including that OF per-
fecting an organization and assem- bling
a personnel of capable executives and
experts. Their complaint is that these
difficulties have been over-emphasized
and that the steady effort to eliminate
them has not been recognized.
As an evidence of fhe widespread
misunderstanding about the present re-
lations of the shipping board and the
Emergency Fleet Corporation state
ments about "divided authority" and
conflict of powers" made both in Con-
gress and in newspapers, were cited to-
day.
The debate on the Senate resolution
to investigate the shipbuilding pro-
gram. it is held. disclosed seeming
ignorance of the fact that Chairman
Hurley now is the supreme authority
in shipbuiiding; that he has powers as
extensive in his own organization of
both the shipping board and the Elmer
gency Fleet Corporation as has a cab
met officer within his department.
"
lit was stated today, seems not to have
been known by Rear Admiral Harris
when the admiral was made general
manager of the Emergency Fleet Cor
poration: though it was stated at the
time that the vice president of the
corporation, Mr.. Piez, was the execu-
tive head under Mr.. Hurley, the ex-
officio president of the Emergency
Fleet Corporation, as well as the chair
man of the shipping board.
1t Is held that the efforts of Rear
Admiral Harris to move the corpora
tion's offices to Philadelphia, and to
expend s12,o00,00o on housing pro-
gram, without the o. X of the ship
ping board, and his consequent resig-
nation, in itself is proof that power
is how centralized.
One of the chief recent difficulties of
the board has been the necessity of re-
adjusting many contracts, hastily
made, it is charged. under the Denman-
Goethals regime. 1t is considered re-
grettab1e that this work should have
to be reviewed, but the shortcomings
of earlier administrations is held to be
no just cause for blame of the present
regime.