The Washington herald., 1918-02-13
Rear Admiral Palmer's Testimony.

n
shipping ought not to be delayed. The navy is
clamoring for a change, and with just The
Shipping Board has been jealous of its power and
has blocked the natural course OF reform. There
must be hasty retreat from its present position.
Either that or new Shipping Board. The alterna-
tive is inevitable.
1t has been generally believed that the navy was
in charge of merchant ships while they were pass
ing through the zone; that the officers in
charge OF the armed guards provided by the navy
were in absolute control of the vessels during that
part of their Journey where the danger of sub
marine attack acute. If the navy had been the
present emergency doubtless would not have arisen.
The question of authority, between the merchant
captain and the naval lieutenant other officer, in
charge of the armed guard, has never been ex-
plicitly determined 1t is doubtful whether the
naval officer could assert his authority the ship
captain under any other circumstances than when
actually under attack. Keen dissatisfaction has
listed in the navy for months over this condition.
Naval authorities have provided Congress with
report of the actual personnel conditions our
shipping under conditions. 1t is not flatter-
ing picture. There than 5000 enemy
aliens among their crews; others claiming to be
Americans are of dubious citizenship and question
able loyalty; foreigners, many OF whom do not
derstand word of English constitute majority OF
the sailors; discipline is lax; the chaotic conditions
existing in the shipping world has had the worst
possible effect upon the morale of the crews.
These facts are not new. 1t thought that the
ship owners themselves would that they
nothing less than standing menace to American
shipping and American lives; but comparatively
little has been done in the way of reform. The
navy the peril early in the war and drafted
plans for taking over the manning OF all merchant
ships. An adequate plan for training schools and
for the recruiting of merchant sailors was drawn
The Shipping Board would have OF it; it did
not to have the navy take control of the crews
of merchant ships. And there the matter dropped,
and has remained from that day to this.
In relating of the amazing incidents that
have occurred merchant ships during the
period Rear Admiral Leigh c. Palmer, chief of the
Bureau of Navigation, has performed public serv-
ice. The public is entitled know the facts. Here
a few high lights of his testimony before the
House Committee Naval Affairs, derived from
reports OF officers:
"On sailing from New York the storekceper
lamplighter, boatswain and boatswain's mate were
drunk | personally a great MAJ Of the crew
under the influence of liquor to such extent
to be incapacitated for duty. No disciplinary ac-
tion be taken in these cases; the only
for the captain OF this ship is to log these men for
a days pay while they unfit for duty >
On another occasion it necessary to lower the
hfeboats while in the and hold abandon
ship drill, required by law. 1t necessary to
pay the crew, while standing by this drill, 10 cents
per hour overtime. On several occasions
while passing through the war zone, it was neces-
sary for me TO go below in order to stop members
OF the engineers force from smoking on exposed
decks, this being against the rule in the zone
These facts tell their story and carry their
own moral They may represent the normal or
usual condition of affairs on our ships but the
navy has more than made good its case. Repre-
sentative Hicks measure providing for naval con-
troll should be acted upon without delay. II war
conditions demand modification of the seamen's
act there should be no qualms about amending it.