The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-10
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ral years in the boards department of Investigation.
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 In presenting the report, MT. Fisher Nplained that it was designed 10 deal pnly with problems which could be olved wholly by the shipping board nd left untouched" Ii general subs ects in connection with the boards operations. Among these were enumer- ted organization of the board, .ecnni- 3al errors in the construction pro- gramme, German n-American deals, in- Iorcement of the new merchant marine act and evasions of the selective serv- ct act.
 Taking up in detail seven general phases of the boards activities, the e. bort charged gross waste of govern nent funds, improperly drawn ron- tracts which cost the government large sumS and failure of the various divi- sions Of the board to co-oDeratA { fiji |e;ently and the almost complete failure | of some of the divisions to function properly.
 Padding of payrolls by firms re- pairing shipping board vessels owner |ship by companies operating govern |ment vessels of stock in companies Furnishing supplies to those craft at |prices ranging anywhere from 40 to 50 per cent above wholesale costs, wholesale theft of supplies and equip- ment from ships. and the loss of mil lions of dollars through improperly secured loans made to contractors building government vessels were charged.
 The investigators alleged that in some cases the fleet corporation loaned lroney to contractors and accepted as security bonds issued by companies in- corporated by the contractors. which bonds have since been found to be worthless.
 The charge also was made that in many cases ship building plants with materials which are going concerns, were turned back 10 contractors as gall wage propositions. and the contractors thus reap large profits at the expense of the fleet corporation."
 CHARGED COMMISSION
 Another allegation in the report was that many firms holding construction contracts inaugurated Liberty bond selling crusades in their plants and charged to ship construction 10 per cent of the money thus secured a s the cost for selling the bonds. It was fur ther charged that in some eases the fleet corporation authorized contrac- tors to take from their appropriated funds sums to purchase Liberty bonds and that subsequently, in some cases these bonds were sold or hypothecated at a loss and the money thus realized used flor plant purposes"
 They (the contractors) then put in a claim against the United States shipping Board Emergency Fleet cor poration for the losses thus incurred" declared the report.
 Going into the matter of salvage of shipbuilding plants, uncompleted hulls and materials and stores, the report alleged that it was ''asserted by per sons in position to know" that the sale of the millions of dollars worth or materials" owned by the fleet corpora tion had netted no more than IS cents on the dollar at time when the ship hing board at other points was pur- chasing the same materials in the open market at prices in advance of the ori- sinal cost prices of the materials soid.
 However" said the report, the question seems to be one of malao- ministration, rather than one of funda- mental conditions, in so far as the limited returns from the sale or these materials is concerned.
 The report said that the "Bardee company" was trying to purchase 'un- der a blanket contract all supplies and stores of the fleet corporation and charged that one of the officials Of this company was also "an advisor to the shipping boards cancellation and claims board"
 The shipping board announced last night sale of surplus material on the Pacific coast valued at about $l5,o00,- GOO to .Bardee Brothers. Incorporated of New York.
 As to building contract cancellations and hull removals the report asserted that the shipping board entered lhte q contract with George F. Rogers te remove hulls which were on the ways in an unfinished state at the time tns contract was signed to secure ths builders or the land upon which tht hulls and ways rested a release Iron further liability
 COLLECTED $5,000 FEE
 For some reason said the report .the United States Shipping board saw fit to make a contract with Rogers t' pay him $5,000 per hull for each hui thus handled by him. The result ha been that in many eases the unite' lStates Shipping board has paid an ad Utional s5.000 per hull to have Roger SGl the hull or give 1t away, in man. casoe the cost of the huh representing . several thousand dollars Rogers ha found no difficulty in selling thes