The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-12-17
WORK AT HOG ISLAND.

Washington Correspondence of the
Christian Science Monitor: Several
months ago an exhaustive investiga-
ton was conducted by the commerce
committee OF the United States SEN
ate into the affairs of the shipping
board n particularly into the re
suits achieved under contracts let by
the Emergency Fleet corporation. At
that time certain facts were devel-
oped with regard to the Hog Island
enterprise which received wide pub
licity, and allegations of such a
grave character were made that
President Wilson directed the attor-
ney-general to conduct an investiga-
ton into the affairs of the American
International corporation in Charge
at Hog Island.
From time to time questions have
been asked on the floor of the senate
as to what had been the result of
this Investigation. Certain members
or the committee on commerce are
still of the opinion that "a saturnalia
OF extravaganza" had been staged at
this plant; that results achieved did
not measure up to the expenditure
of public money and that transac-
tons were in some instances of a
duCStIoldDlC SHa oSICi, WHICH u
| people have a right to know.
Senator King, democrat, of Utah,
asked members Of the committee on
Tuesday why it was that the report
had not been submitted to the COM
I mittee which had been authorized by
the senate to conduct the investiga-
ton.
Now the senate committee had un-
dertaken an investigation into some
of the alleged irregularities, but the
president, SO to speak, took the wind
out of their sails and ordered an in
quiry by the department of justice.
This report was compiled and sub
mitted to the president by the attor-
ney general. No inkling of its con-
tents has ever come to the
committee nor to the general public.
Some days ago the committee adopt
ed a resolution calling for the attor-
ney-generai's report. Inquiry by sem
ators failed to trace the path of the
report or to discover it's adventures
before it was pigeonholed some
where.
Here are the facts: President VIII
son received the report from the
attorney general. The members Of
Z l1t opi !" IL d. IL d
submittd informally to f. NJ. Hurley,
chairman of the shipping board, by
the president. 1t is taken for granted
that Mr.. Hurley sem it back to the
president, but nothing has been said
about it's contents or as to whether
or not the American International
corporation has been acquitted. Mem
bers of the senate committee are
now in the position that they do not
know in whose hands the report is.
They say that If the men in charge
az Hog Island are given a clean bill
by the department of Justice, the
fact ought 10 be made known. II
irregularities have been discovered
in the manipulation of public funds.
they demand that the public should
be informed. The disposition, ap-
parently, is to let the whole matter
drop if the commerce committee
fails to take a firm stand.
When the department Of justice
undertook an investigation, the Hog
Island officials took the position that
the facts regarding the Hog Island
enterprise should be passed on by
engineers and not by lawyers. 1t is
the general opinion, however, that
not even a know how engineer
could prove that the American Inter
national corporation has fulfilled it's
program. Only three or four ships
have been launched by this largest
shipbuilding enterprise since the
days of Solomon" This is an ex-
tremely small proportion of the
promised output.
Conditions at present at the plant
are rather chaotic, the stage having
been reached when government