The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1919-03-06
TWO BILLIONLOSS
In BUILDING SHIPS
Twenty-Five Per cent. of Immense
Sum Spent at Hog Island to
Show For Investment.

washington, March 4-Complete loss
to the tax payers of something like two
billions of dollars has been brought
about by lax methods of the Admins
tratlon in the building of ships, accord
ing to statements made by Represen-
tatlVes Mondell, of Wyoming, Republi-
can. during debate in the House.
Mondell. as member of the Appro~
prlatlons Committee. pointed out that
there would be expended for shipping
under the provisions of the Sundrv
Civil Bill about $3.50, 900, 600. The pres
ent program, he said calls for 1852
ships. constructed or to be constructed
by the Emergency Fleet Corporations,
with total tonnage of IA, 57S. Ill gross,
OF which 578 ships, with a gross tom
mage OF 3,3l3, 3S6 have been delivered,
and Sol requisitioned ships of a dead
weight tonnage OF 1881. O61, have been
delivered. The total appropriate =
this bill will bring the appropriat
for the Shipping Board to So, 507, 6O4.
254.
Snyder, of New York, asked what
part OF this huge amount is now an
asset of the government. To this ques-
ton Mondell replied that the loss on the
country's shipping investment will be
| about % Der cent. somewhat between
81, 800, 100000 and 100000, 900. He
went on to say that we must strike
from all of our shipping something like
thIrty-tve per cent. in order to get
down to cost basis at this time; that
as ocean frelghts are lowered and read
JuSted TO peace conditions another if-
teen per cent. must be struck off to get
down to the peace value of some of the
ships; and that the percentage of loss
on wooden ships will be even greater.
Then we come to the question Of
fabricating yards" said the Wyoming
man. Mr.. Piez, of the Shipping Board,
says that our S65, cocoon Hog Island
yard has no future l do not know how
much the scrap that will remain at Hog
Island after it is all over will bring. 1t
may bring twenty five per cent. of the
amount expended. Probably it will not
bring that much. The loss on yards and
extensions will be heavy, as we'll as on
housing, dry docks and other facilities.
Then we are speeding $40, 900, 600 year
for the training of men for merchant
ships. Of course, this will not be loss
II we can operate the ships at profit,
But we might as we'll make up our
minds now that the American people
will pocket a loss of at least a billion
and a half on the building. requistion-
ing and operating of ships"
Many of the vessels constructed by
the Shipping Board were fabricated for
certain special purposes such as the
carrying of aeroplanes, munitions and
machinery, and therefore cannot be so
readily adapted to the carrying of ordi-
nary commerce. At that some of the
wooden ones will be worthless, as indi-
Gated by the fact that few tipped
over before the engines were installed
in them. Mondell said he had no doubt
that some use would be found for the
wooden ships, if sold very cheaplv. He
stated that after the completion of the
governments program for the next
year and half, the tonnage of the en-.
tire world before the European war will
be exceeded by 100000 tons. Yet half
of the expenditure will be taken up in
unnecessary loss.
I'VE have here another illustration of
what great mistakes people may make
by entering into great programs with
out careful consideration, said Mon
dell. In the desire to accomplish great
things under the spur and stress of war
the mark was overshot, | am not
blaming anybody in particular for sug-
costing it. should not like, however,
to be the man who ought to be made
for some of the gross mis-
under it. Some folks
ought to be brought to account for the
waste and loss"