Milford chronicle., 1920-11-26
THE SHOCKING SHIPPING BOARD DOCUMENT
From Harvey's weekly

The report of the shipping board Investigators is
of the shocking documents laid before the Am
people In all the of waste and thevery
hardly anything to match its revelation of sordid
nfamy
When one stops to think how the decent people of the
country have pnching and scrimping. depriving
themselves of this and denying themselves tha-many
thousands of them actually hard pressed at times, to OBJ
necessities of life in spite of the evermount-
ing bill living expenses-while all the time despic-
able crew of scoundres ranging all the from petty
sneak thieves wholesale swnders and robbers have
made nchaenged loot of the millions upon millions OF
money resultant from this patriotic sef-sacrfce when
home it does home in the shipping
board exposure it is difficult to in measured
terms the Indignation which the revelation arouses
1t is no campaign document. this shipping board re-
port item in all the disgusting indictment can be
charged discounted attempt to make political
capital The election No partisan end can be serv
ed by the revelations. is just cold recital Of care
fully established facts
And such facts If that shipping board report may
fair cross-secon exhibit of American stand
of official competence and of our average business in
tegry, then-God help Americai To analyze this mis-
cradle which specially appointed investigators
for the congressional select committee shipping board
operations have spread before the country, involves
ploration of almost resort of commercial inquy
known Every crime in the calendar of business
Hainy to be involved from mere sneak thievery
to murder tself-and particularly cowardly form of
murder at that.
1T is comparatively easy thing" says the report,
"to accidentally drop bar wrench into ships
hold when straight tmekeeper inspector, is stand
ing under"
The reward of honesty under shipping board opera
ons other words, that the honest mans brains
were knocked out Just many of these cod-booded
murders committed is unknown. and will remain
unknown Just how millions of the American peo-
pies money stolen is unknown. That too will prob
ably remain unknown. The best that the investigators
bic ic that tba will
into the billions.
Just where official incompetence leaves off and where
official crimnaty begins in the abominable business is
problem for the future to solve Barkeepers paid $4,000
year bookkeepers; private detective in New York
hotel who aboard ship and who kept right
at his hotel job drawing a shipping board salary
sailor" laborers paid experienced mechanics
wages; selling material at 13 cents the dollar while
buying precisely the material at so cent above
the established wholesale market price for it, steward
throwing overheard entire ships supply of food bought
five days before by his predecessor in order to make
for full fresh supply bought with the customary stew
ards "rake-ofthese may be counted the humcrs
of the colossal orgy
And then there that spirited little episode of
captain stealing his shipping board vessel bodily and
hawking it about foreign ports for sale. To be in
this instance the captain had to abroad He had just
engaged in little $4,000 bunkerage steal Grapefruit
knives at S50 each and strawberries at so quart
supplied to every member of orecaste These
the opera-boue Pinafore features of the magnif
cent debauch Like the payment of $2OS for IS job of
headlight repairing they rather tightening and cheer
ing than otherwise against the black background
of the really serious seangs by fraudulent contracts in
crooked subcontracting, etc.
And now what is going to be done about it? Are
these crooks official and plain to unwhpped of justice
with the millions which they have stolen from the Amer
lean peope Are they to scot free? Or they to be
hunted down. convicted and put in the penenary where
they belong?