New-York tribune., 1919-01-10
Fleet Corporation
Ignored Expense,
Declares Calder
New York Senator, Who Has
Been Investigating Opera
tions of Shipping Board,
Denounces Its Methods

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9.-Senator Cal
der, of New York, Republican, speaking
to-day in the Senate, charged that the
Shipping Board and the Emergency
Fleet Corporation have operated in an
unbusinesslike manner with apparent
disregard for expense" ard urged that
Congress determine the boards general
policies and limit the scope of its ac-
tivities. Senator Calder is member
of the Senate Commerce Committee
which has been investigating ship
building for many months.
"The Shipping Board" declared SEN
ator Calder, has at no time been made
up OF men with knowledge of ship
ping or shipbuiidirg problems. There
have been many changes in personnel
and consequently in it's policies. A
very large part of the time and the en-
ergies of the Fleet Corporation has
been gwen over to building up a 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 toward labor there
has been practically no effort made to
enforce ordinary discipline or to indi-
cate to the workingmen generally that
they were expected to render a fair re-
turn of work for the high wages paid.
The records indicate that in manv in
stances men being paid by the piece.
with the possibility Of making from 500
to $50 day, did three times the ouan-
tlty of similar WORK performed by men
on a per diem basis.
"This condition is due in large meas
ure to the apparent disregard for ex-
pense, the grossly excessive office and
supervising forces employed and the
the very high salaries being paid. 1t
is an interesting fact that the Hog
Is and shipyard overhead expenses are
averaging to-day the sum Of 81, 1000
month. and since the start of the
work in this yard the overhead charges
up to December / have exceeded S16,-
500 OO0.".
Senator Calder recommended that the
activities of the Fleet Corporation in
connection with the work of privately
owned yards having contracts for ships,
shoutd be limited 20 the proper lnSpec-
ton of the work and to rendering as
sistance in the supplying of materials
and facilities, and that the work in
government owned yards should be
carried on under the immediate control
and direction Of the Fleet Corporation.
Statistics show, the New York SEN
ator declared, that the shipping pro-
gramme is progressing at approxi-
mately 40 per cent of scheduled speed
and that final completion of the work
under contract viii probably take near
ly a year longer than the time allowed
in the contracts"
Contracts for 35 per cent or 513
ships, of the total steel tonnage
planned. were awarded by the board
Senator Calder said. to FIVE shipbuild-
ing concerns, only one Of which had had
experience in the work. at an estimated
cost Of S745 100000. This cost he said
would appoach nearer $1,000 900 900.
At this rate the AVERAGE cost a ton
was 1915 he estimated, exclusive of the
cost of supervision and control by the
Fleet Corporation.
OF the 513 ships only four had been
delivered up to November II out of 1O3
promised by that date, Senator Calder
said. The companies receiving the con-
tracts were the Hog Island Shipyard
Merchant Shipbuilding CORPORATION,
Bristol. Penn; Submarine Boat Cor
poration, Newark n. j.; Bethlehem
Shipbuilding Corporation and the Car
olina shipbui ding Corporation, of Will
mlngton, n. c.