The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-01-09
By Sen. Calder Against the
Shipping Board and Emer-
gency Fleet Corporation
DEMANDS A LIMIT
TO THE ACTIVITIES
Says Shipping Board Has
Been Made Up Of Men In
experienced in Shipping

Washington, D. c., Jan. Ex-senator
Calder of New York, Republican, speak
ing to-day in the Senate, charged that
the shipping board and the emergency
fleet corporation have operated in an un-
businesslike manner with apparent dis
regard for expense" and urged that Con-
gress determine the boards general pol
icies and limit the scope OF its activi-
ties. Senator Calder is member of the
Senate commerce committee, which has
has been investigating shipbuilding for
many months.
The shipping board" declared Sena-
tor Calder, "has at no time been made
up of men with a knowledge of shipping
or shipbuilding problems. There have
been many changes in personnel and con,
sequently in its policies. A very large
part of the time and the energies Of the
feet corporation has been given over to
building up great and cumbersome
system Of supervision with reports and
statistics on every conceivable subject
connected with the work, rather than
to the building of ships as an emergency
measure,
In the policy towards labor, practical
ly no effort has been made to enforce
ordinary discipline or TO indicate to the
working men generally that they were
expected to render fair return of work
for the high wages paid. The records
indicate that in many instances men be.
ing paid by the piece with the possibili-
ty Of making from $40 TO $50 a day, did
three times the quantity of similar work
work performed by men on a per diem
basis.
This condition is due largely to the
apparent disregard for expense, the
grossly excessive Office and supervisory
forces employed and the knowledge
among the workingmen Of the very high
salaries being paid. 1t is an interesting
fact that the Hog Island shipyards over
head expenses are averaging to-day the
sum of 81 100000 a month, and since
the start of the work in this yard, the
overhead charges up to Dec. | have eN-
ceeded Sl6,S00,O00."
Senator Calder recommended that the
activities of the feet corporation in con.
nection with the work Of privately
owned yards having contracts for ships
should be limited TO the proper inspec.
ton Of the work and to rendering as
sistanee in the supplying Of materials
and facilities, and that the work in gov
eminent owned yards should be carried
on under the immediate control and di-
rection of the fleet corporation.
Statistics show, the senator declared
that the shipping program is progress.
ing at approximately forty per cent Of
scheduled speed, and that the final com.
pletion Of the work under construction
probably will take nearly a year longer
than the time allowed in the contracts.
Contracts for 50 per cent, or 5I3 ships
Of the total steel tonnage planned were
awarded by the board, Senator Colder
said, to five shipbuilding concerns, only
one of which had had experience in tie
work, at an estimate cost of S745, 600 900,
but he said this cost would approach
nearer one billion dollars. At this late
the average cost per ton was S275, he es.
timated, exclusive of the cost of super.
vision and control by the feet corpora
ton, ...
Of the 4l3 ships only four had been de.
livered up to Nov IL, out of 1903 prom,
sed by that date, Senator Calder said.
The companies receiving the contracts
were the Hog Island shipyard, Merchant
Shipbuilding corporation, Bristol, Pa,
Submarine Board corporation, Newark
N. j.; Bethlehem Sbipbuilding corpora.
ton, and the Carolina Shipbuilding cor
poration, Of Wilmington, N. c.