The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-05-28
DENMAN FLAYS
COCKTAILS over
SHIP ATTITUDE
One Purpose, He Says, Is to
Defeat Submarine
Campaign

IlOIl, LOT discussing n1aLLorS OIL pOHCy
at the dinner of the American Iron
and Steel Institute in New York Fri
day. Mr.. Denman has left Washing
ton and it is believed he conferred
with Gen. Goethals in New York or
Philadelphia prior to making the pre-
pared statement given out here last
night.
Gen. Goetha1s at the dinner de-
clared that the Shipping Boards
wooden ship program intrusted to him
was hopeless.
Mr.. Denman and Gen. Goethals are
expected here today, and if the appar-
ent difficulty between them can be
bridge it is believed the board will
go ahead with it's ship construction
program as planned. If a breach oc-
ours, it is possible the matter may be
threshed out before Congress.
Mr.. Denman'S statement reads:
1.-THE Shipping Board has but one
purpose in it's activities in Washing
ton at the present time. That is to
use it's utmost endeavors and powers
to defeat the submarine campaign of
the German Empire. No person nor
any interested group of capitalists can
draw any one of US into a controversy
with Gen. Goetha1s, nor do we think
| the General is seeking it. If all the
year or eighteen months are built,
| there would still be need for 1000
wooden ships to make good the de-
ficit in our merchant tonnage, even
though the German rate of destruc-
ton is reduced to half that establish
ed in the month of April. I do not
know whether LOO wooden ships can
be built in eighteen months. There
was a hope expressed that we could,
and I have carefully avoided denying
the possibility of the realization of
the hope.
my reason for not denying it is
because I do not care to have our
German enemies in Berlin receive
I think, that Gen. Goethals is of the
same point of view with regard to the
Germans. Every attempt to make it
appear that there is disruption be-
tween Gen. Goethals and the board is
adding to German comfort and assur-
ance.
1--WE believe that the committees in
Congress and not a public dinner
with the head of the Steel Trust are
the places for the discussion of matA
tiers of policy with regard to ship
building.
Congress Quick Response.
ST desire to have it made clear
that in my long experience with leg.
islative bodies, I have never known
any legislature to give the quick re-
spouse to any suggested legislation
! hitch has been given to the proposals
Of the Shipping Board for a three
Quarters of billion dollar appro-
priation, with enormous semi dicta-
torial powers in the Executive, The
response in the Senate was almost in
Simultaneous, the rapidity of move
ment of the legislation in the House
| when one considers what was asked
of it has been equally phenomenal.
Every request we have made ito
the Treasury Department for money
has received equally quick response.
1t was not necessary to sell Panama
Canal bonds in order to obtain
money, and the General must have
been under some misapprehension in
this connection.
'I have deep faith in the resources
fulness of the Americans and the
Allied naval officers as inventors to
defeat the submarine. Until that
time we must keep the Allies fed
| and munitioned by fleets constantly
diminished by torpedoes. 1t is not
going to help the war to spead stor-
les of disharmony among the vari-
Gus organs of government here in
Washington.
Most Cordial Support
ct can say with a great certainty
that the board has received nothing
but the most cordial support and as
sistance from every branch of the
government to which it's activities
are properly correlated. In this I
include the Council of National De-
| Tense, the Department of Commerce,
| tthe army, the navy, the Treasury
Department and the Department of
| Labor. There has never been a time
when the board has felt from any of
| these departments the slightest at
| tempt to restrain its efficient action
| 1t is going to be almost impossible to
bring attitude upon this question of
| unifcation Of endeavor"
In referring to the "'head of the
| Steel Trust it is understood Mr..
Denman spoke of Judge Gilbert H.
| Gary, who presided at the dinner of
| the steel and iron interests.
| The statement that the Shipping
Board would build a, thousand wooden
ships, it was explained several days
| ago, did not originate with the board
| but was suggested as a possible result
| of the boards activities. Chairman
| Denman has admitted before that he
had little hope of constructing this
number of ships, but explained that
he had let the rumor go for the moral
| effect it would have on the enemy
| He is understood to be in favor of al
least $50 or 200 of the wooden craft
| and more if possible, in the belief that
| the United States will need all the
ships it can build, wooden or any other
type, and as rapidly as they can be
built to combat the growing rate Of
| destruction by the U boats. He has
| declared that the first object to be
| considered should be how fast they can
be turned out, rather than what type
Of ships is built.
Althoug the statement given out on
| behalf of the board disclaims that any
1 friction will arise between it and the
executive manager of the Fleet Cor
| poration, officials and others here are
| interested to see what will be the out
| come Of what is looked upon as re-
| buke for Gen. Goetha1s. They also
| see in it a suggestion that the board
| believes some interested parties or
| groups of interests may be trying to
| influence members of the Fleet Cor
poration or the board with a view to
| creating a break for the purpose Of