The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-11-17
GRAF 7 AND WASTE {.
CHARGES SEEM
T0BE SUSTAINED
Every Kind Of Abuse Known
Declared by Witness
COMPLAINTS sQUELCHED
Firms That Were Known to Be Crook
ed Seemed to Have First
Call at Contracts.

New York. Nov. 17.-Diselosures
made yesterday before the Walsh COM
mittee dispelled whatever doubts may
have remained as to the existence OF
widespread graft, colusiye bidding
which caused enormous losses to the
government, ruinous oyercharges,
waste, careless and disastrous bust
ness judgment and a dozen minor
abuses which have marked the opera
tions of the United States Shipping
Board.
Five witnesses testified each OF
them making substantial contribu-
ton to the story of mlsmanagement.
The charges contained In the report
made to the committee by A. NJ.
FISHER and John +. Richardson, in
yestigators who spent more than a
year digging inton conditions pa and
present, were upheld and amplified at
every essential point. II appears from
the testimony that the evils were not
sporadic, but general, existing In prac-
tlcally every shipyard on both the
Atlantic and Pacific coasts
Moreover, testimony was brought
out TO .hUw tnat the Shipping board
has not corrected many features of its
faulty system OF operation; that waste
Is sti going on and materials and
| ships still rottipg because Of inef-
fciency, and that the Government
even today allows flrmj which have
been proved dishonest to make bids
and accept contracts involving large
sums Of money.
Perhaps the most important testi.
mony was given by Paul II MacNeil, a
dock engineer, whose home Is at v55
Fifteenth street, College Point
When he became Gu todian OF the
yard OF the National Shipbullding Com
pany. he said. he attempted To obtain
authority from the Emergency Fleet
! Corporation TO cancel orders for plant
machinery which was still being deliv.
cred. This plant had been shut down
before a sing ship was completed
He was told he said TO keep strict
policy Cf hands off, on matters like
that After that he put the plant and
/ machinery IN the best condition he
could for what he described aj a long
wait
MacNeil said that, IN his opinion rs
an engineer, the yard of the National
company was ona or the best In the
country. II was built at cost oi
S2S5 900 and sold for S65, 900, he said
MacNeil testified that a Mr.. Saims
who was the resident agent of the Em.
ergency Fleet Corporation at the Ma,
tional yard, got contract from the
Government 10 build marine railway
on adjoining land and obtained a loan
Of 100000 TO do II. The witness a.
serted that though the marine railway
he's been compete none of the loan
has been returned and the interest
charges have not been met.
He testified that while complete
outfit of office furniture was standing
idle at the National Yard a new audi
tor who went TO Savannah for the
Shipping Board was forced to buy Of
flee equipment In the open market
because MacNeil could not get the re
quiste authority to turn. over any Of
! the furniture to him.
| Only one Of the five contracts let AT
Savannah for the construction of ships
for the Government was absolutely
honest. MacNeil said. He named the
! Southland Company as the one except
ion II built several tugs for the En-
ergency Fleet Corporation