Evening star., 1917-12-22

a
shipping board and vice president Of the
Emergency Fleet Corporation. on the
stand. the Senate commerce committee this
afternoon resumed its investigation Of the
activities of the dual organization which
has been charged with supplying a mer-
chant marine for Uncle Sam at tho pres
ent crisis. Senator Fletcher. chairman Of
the committee. is pressing the investiga-
ton as rapidly as possible.
The outstanding facts developed at the
opening Of the investigation yesterday are
|. A tremendous program Of shipbuild-
ing has been undertaken Ships to the
number of 1.427. of s.573,1os deadweight
tons. are under construction and under
contract OF these. 9s6 are new ships con-
tracted for by the Emergency Fleet Cor
poraton and 431 were already under con-
struction for private or foreign owners
when the communicating order went into
effect August 8.
Turns Over Forty-Nine Ships.
q The shipping board has already put
into operation and turned over to the
Army forty-nine of commandeered
ships which have been completed. But
single ship constructed under the
contracts let by the corporation is
ready and will sail few days after
Christmas. However, the work on
others is progressing rapidly. and now
structing shipyards is out of the way,
scores of the new vessels are expected
TO follow rapidly.
3. The power in the dual organization
designed to build and operate a mer-
chant marine for the United States in
the present emergency has finally been
centered in the hands of one man, E. N.
Hurley, chairman of the shipping
board. and also president of the Emer-
gency Fleet Corporation.
4. The designations of men appointed
general manager of the Emergency
Fleet Corporation resulted from divided
authority and the friction due to it.
Made Strong Impression.
Edward N Hurley and John A. Don
statement of the operation of the ship
ping board and its feet building cor
poration since he entered upon his du-
ties as head of these organizations, fol-
lowing the retirement Of William Den
man and Maj Cen George Goethals.
made a strong impression on the inves-
tigating committee. Members of the
committee individually expressed the
opinion following the hearing that
Hurley would build the ships IL they
can be built
At the outset Of his testimony Mr.
Hurley explained that the shipping
board is the organization created by
the government to operate merchant
marine and that the Emergency Fleet
Corporation is the manufacturing part
of the shipping board. which constructs
the vessels and turns them over to the
Shipping board.
Mr. Hurley insisted that since he had
taken Office there had been no contro-
versies in the management of the two
concerns and that the construction of
ships was now progressing as rapidly
as could be expected.
III Health Not Only Cause.
While Mr. Donald bore out Mr.. Hur-
ley's statement that there had been no
controversies since Mr.. Hurley took
charge. he admitted under questioning
that the retirement of Rear Admiral
Capps from the post as general man
ager of the Emergency Fleet Corpora
ton had not resulted merely because
of Ill health, as given out at the time,
but because Admiral Capps believed
that he should have had more power in
. the managen1 ent of the corporation
He admitted also that Rear Admiral
Harris who succeeded Admiral Capps
and who remained in Office only six or
seven DAYS. had attempted to carry
brought down upon himself the CEN
sure of the President and board of
trustees.
Full responsibility for the success or
'allure OF tne governments Ehipbuild-
ing program was shouldered by Chair
man Hurley.
The present organization" Mr.. Hur-
ley said. is the only way that ships
can be built. We do not need addi-
tional legislation. II the head of the
institution does not build ships 1t Is
because of his inefilciency and not be-
cause of faults of the organization"
Besides organization faults. factors
which have contributed to delay in ship
construction were given by Hurley as
the Nays utilization of shipbuilding
facilities. labor troubles. lack of hous-
ing for workers the necessity of build
ing new shipyards and changes in spec
ification~ Of ships
Changes in Specification.
The changes in specifications were
made In wooden vessels two months
ago. after some of them already were
under construction. They were made,
MIR. Hurley said. by Admiral Capps and
his star of designers when it became
apparent that the ships as contracted
for originally needed larger ttmbers
70 strengthen them.
Mr.. Hurley read to the committee a
statement in which he said