New-York tribune., 1920-11-23
NoCorruption
In Ship Board,
British State
Nothing Beyond Waste and
Mismanagement Due to
Inexperience, Is View in
English Marine World
Credit Given to Benson
Declared Responsible for
Initiating Steps TO End
Extravagant Practices

That a certain degree of waste and
r;smanagement in the affairs of the
United States Shipping Board were
unavoidable, but that there has been
~ official corruption, is the view taken
n the situation by the British Ship
ping publication, the syren and Ship
ping.
Commenting previous to the recent
sessions Of the Congressional investi-
eating committee, the British paper
says:
at is reported from New York that
N,. Walsh, chairman Of the special
committee set up to investigate
charges Of graft, inefficiency and
waste in the operations OF the Ship
ping Board, has signed a sensational
report, showing that hundreds Of
millions OF dollars have been lost to
the country by corruption and mis-
management. The report, adds later
cable, Is being pigeon-holed by the
Shipping Board until after the Presi-
Dental election"
pigeon Holing'' Idea Error
This latter statement is, of course,
erroneous. The report was not pre-
sented to the Shipping Board, but to
the committee and there was no pos
sibility of the board pigeon-holing a
Congressional report. The British
paper then goes on to say:
ave have had so many reports in
this country in regard to war mis-
management that we now accept them
only at very discounted value. This
particularly applies in the United
States in the height of the Presidential
campaign, and, across the pond, as
Lord Randolph Churchill said of Bir-
mingham, they like their politics hot.
ut is we'll known that the Shipping
Boards operations have been in many
respects exceedingly wasteful and bad
ly managed. On the other hand, this
could hardly have been avoided, given
the lack Of experience in shipping
which prevailed at Washington and the
sub-ofices. But mismanagement and
waste are very different things from
corruption running into several hun
dreds Of millions of dollars Until
there is much better evidence than
even the report itself-for reports are
not proof-we would suggest that not
100 much credence should be placed in
these stories. To begin with, it is
inconceivable that any high officials Of
an American war department should
manner suggested, and it is absurd to
suppose that evenNf they fell 80 low
they actually prof,ed to the extent
Indicated.
Nothing Worse Than Muddle7
ave are quite willing to believe that
muddle was often rampant in the mys
terious workings of Admiral Bcnson's
department, but we go no further than
that. To great extent lack Of knowl-
edge and experience has been RESPONSE
bic for many of the agents of the
board being persons no responsible
shipowner would deal with. In the
Mediterranean, we believe conditions
were particularly bad. But for some
time a sweeping process has been in
progress, and matters are being grad
ually put straight. Much as we disap-
prove Of Admiral Benson, we have rea-
son to think that he has been largely
responsible for initiating this cleanup.
"As an example of what we mean by
'muddle' and 'inexperience' we refer to
q notice in San Francisco papers. It
says: Mr. W. C Norton, Secretary Of
Shipping Board Pacific conference. has
sailed for the Orient as supercargo Of
vessels in the Orient trade to master
the details Of actual operation aboard
ship
with all respect, we would have
thought that gentleman with no ex-
perience of the nature suggested was
hardly fit for the position Of secretary
OF conferenceev