Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-05-30
GRAVE PERIIIIN
COMMISSIONS
Meaning of the Goethals-Den-
man Dispute-Money Needed
Elsewhere Going for Spe-
cial Investigations


sions Congress was never overzealous in
the creation Of those auxiliary branches Of
the Government service First. because OF
the expense incident to their operation; and
second because Of the duplication Of effort
| due 20 their separate energies and ambt-
tions, II Is known to Congress that COM
missions authorized by It never abandon
! their hold upon the public purse strings and
| seldom fail TO reach out for increased
| power. This has been the rule since the
| creation Of that useful body known as the
| Interstate Commerce Commission which re-
! ports to no particular department and Is
! answerable 10 the President and to Con-
! gross only--to Congress chiefly because II
| is Congress, 10 which IL must go to obtain
1 the funds required for it's maintenance.
| And as showing how the hold Of COM
! mission grows. II Ia necessary in passing
| TO mention only the addition to the duties
| OF the Interstate Commerce Commission OF
| more or less important sl-called physical
| valuation Of railroads." n Wisconsin idea
| for checking up railroad values with issues
| Of stocks and bonds. To carry on this
| work TIE commission has been receiving
! Rrge appropriations for several years, an
| nual appropriations of several millions.
| which engage a vast number Of employees,
| including accountants and railroad experts.
! This appropriation habit is now a settled
| policy with indications pointing to the eN-
penditure Of S50,00O,0O0 before the physical
! valuation Of railroads" is completed And
! then, query Who will read the commits
| sions reports and of what real service
| Will they he to the people?
Goethals and the Shipping Board
The Shipping Board is one Of the Presi-
| dents pet creations. Congress hesitated a
| long while before launching il upon its
career for good or in. There were mem
| bers Of Congress who did not believe in a
detached Shipping Board, and some Of them
! were suspicious Of the plan under which the
present one was TO be organized There
| was much criticism of the ship-purchasing
| agency Of the Spansh-American War, and
| some Of the older members remembered that
| in those days Of excitement number
Of ships were hastily purchased at high
prices that we're afterward sold as Junk.
| The present Shipping Board started out with
| salary scheme that did not strike the APP
propriatons Committee favorably. At first
| blush IT looked as though the proceeds of
the S5OOOO,OOO of bonds TO be sold for the
| board were to be devoted 10 salaries ranging
| from $4,000 per annum down and TO trav-
| cling expenses around the world Then the
| appointment and resignation Of Bernard NJ
| Baker, of Baltimore, who figured in Span
| ish-American War ship purchases excited
| comment and on top of this came the pur-
chase by the board of certain Austrian ships
| on terms which have been topic Of dis
| cussion in the Committee on Merchant Ma
| rine and Fisheries. But the last and most
| serious Shipping Board development is the
Gocthals-Denham outbreak, revealing lack
of unity between the Panama Canal builder
and the California president Of the board,
which has given concern to the Administra-
tion as well as to Congress, General
Goethals talked out of meeting because, aS
many here view It, the supreme test had
come-the test between action and commits
sion red tape the test between results and
profits. And incidentally perhaps the test
between lumber interests and wooden ships
and the steel interests and steel ships. Peo-
pie who criticize Congress for seeking in
formation to some of these commission
| Government projects might sympathlze with
1t If they knew all it has to contend with
Mix-Up on Food Question
And we are to have more advice on the
| food question. The Department Of Agri-
culture given about S25,OO0, 900 last
! year to keep in touch with the food prob
| lem, to make demonstrations Investigations
and all that sort Of thing
The Attorney General had the usual APP
! propriations to make Investigations, and,
| II need be, to bring prosecutions against
| trusts and combinations engaged in un.
| lawful food corners or other combina-
| tions in restraint of trade. And the Fed
eral Trade Commission, another of the
! Presidents special creations, separate of
| the regular departments of the Government.
was given S25O,O00 to make special inves-
| legations into the matter of the food sup
! ply and high prices. But now, after all
! these points have been covered, comes the
| food dictatorship" under ATr. Hoover, to
| take entire control of tho whole business.
| Mr.. Hoover and his corps Of assistants,
| it Is announced, intend TO serve the Gov.
| ernment for nothing and Mr., Hoover is
credited with saying he intends to brook
| no interference from any one I'm the per-
formanCes of the task the President has as
| signed to him. Meanwhile, Congress, still
having control of the purse-strngs and
| mindful that the Department of Agricul.
ture has about 1900 employees and ex-
perts already working on the food prob
| lem in one way another. that the Fed.
| eral Trade Commission has $3.50, 900 to
| make Investigations desired by the Presi-
| dent and that the Attorney General has
men and money to make investigations and
| prosecutions, Chafes little under public
| criticism for asking questions about addi.
| tional appropriations ranging from Sl4-
| 900, 900 TO $25.000,0UO, which the Admins
| tration demands on war grounds for fur
| ther investigations and empoyments Apart
| from the rumorS which reach Congress
| about differences between Mr.. Hoover and
| the Department of Agriculture and the Fed.
| eral Trade Commission there has been some
| doubt about the actual war" value of the
| employment of anywhere from 5000 u 1900
| new employees under the first war food"
| bill to inspect warehouses granaries and
| so forth, and to further instruct" and ed
ucate" the farmer about his work Even
| the National Grange is beginning TO object
to too much education" some Of it's repre-
| sentatives who appeared before the Agri.
| cultural Committee on the first Lever bill
| declaring they needed more workmen and
| "less instruction" on the farm.
River and Harbor Fight
These war food bills" which create new
| positions without necessarily increasing pro-
| duction, and which may reduce the total of
| available men for the army, contrasted
with the river and harbor bill, which has
| finally attained war" status, present an
interesting study. careful pruning of
the items Of the river and harbor bill 10
| meet the war necessities" as viewed by
| the Secretary of War. brings the total ap-
| preparation down to about SIS, 500, 900. That
| sum is a mere bagatelle compared with the
| lump sums going into army and navy con-
tracts and into tremendous pay rolls but
nevertheless the bill will be fought viclously.
| Eight members of the committee have
signed a minority report opposing the bill
on the ground that in these wartimes only
maintenance and national defense items
should be approved. And yet the bill con-