Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-11-10

e.s, use helpers and chAfat Tor afst
class wofknen. use coinIaOn labefers
and cAafgc far Skill. 4. iAbnf. drae the
work to make It last longer. ma Al
di:ional week. - .iv. aad get it speci-
fed, etc.
'Coffuptioa Of the United states
Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Cor
poration employees and officials became
the tendency under this practice. Usu-
ally attempts are made By cohtfAc-
tors and in many cases appArsntiy are
successful. to. secure the favor OF the
port con struction and repaif repreeent-
alive who has the assignment Of work
to the various contractors, and the To-
cal United States Shipping Board
Emsrtency Fleet Corpofation agency
auditor. who has under his charge the
checkers and time keepers"
1T was charged that good men
were heckled. insulted or even fright
ened of the work. where they will not
prove susceptible to corruption" The
report declared ii was comparatively
easy to accidentally drop 4 bar or
wrench into q ships hold vhen a
''strAiet" time keeper q AaDsctof
was standing under.
The report dealt at length with the
furnishing a fuel and supplies to
Shipping Beard vessels. declaring that
the expenditures Of willions OF DOL
lars was left in the hands Of mas
tiers. CHIEF engineers and stewards"
In many cases, il was asserted the
supplies are purchased from brokers
WhA aa = 80 A.
cent. give gratuities to masters and
stewards in the form Of free
lunches. free automobiles Free liquor.
free entertainment. etc." and charge
them in with the price Of supplies
The report charged that ships on
GERS were enabled by the fuel allow
ances made for each voyage to finish
with excess fuel, that they receipted
for full supply on re< bunkeriny ana
then get rebate from bunkering
companies" to the extent Of the ex-
cess.
1t was charged that through polit-
ical Influence ships had been assigned
to companies in which officials Of the
board were or had been associated
and that companies which did not
have the standing or the financial re-
sponsibility in insure safe and proper
management and operation" got all
tonnage applied for by that means.
While many of the government ships
are making profit. the report said.
the others are operating at a loss ana
it was asserted that there were many
who believed that final accounting
of the operations of the ships would
show "a serious loss on the gross ton
mage operated"
Reviewing ship building contracts
and settlements, the report charged
that valuable and expensive ship
building plants" erected on lands
owned or leased by the contractor in
several cases" were not properly
safeguarded as to title.
The result of these oversights, -
said the report, was that the United
States Shipping Board Emergency
Fleet Corporation found itself in po-
sition of owning a plant located on
such sites and the necessity of Civ
ing away or selling these plants for a
small percentage Of their original
cost to the owner or lessee of the
sites"
In a "fofeword' to thereports, Mr.
Richardson said:
While desire to give full credit to
the United States Shipping Board for
its accomplishment Of having con-
structed and launched under abnor-
qal an adverse conditions. such fleet
Of ships as it did. feel that this task
is fully eQualled by the problem now
confronting the Shipping Board Of
creating and nourishing an American
Merchant Marine. From this view
point the report presented herewith is
sketch OF a proposed inquiry by this
committee designed to deal first with
the problems which now confront the
Shipping Board and secondly with the
problems presented in its past accom-
plishments"