The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-11-29
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2s, 1920
ONLY 81 DAYS MORE!

Admiral Benson's Charleston re-
ply to the shocking Shipping Board
revelations made by Mr.. Fisher and
Mr.. Richardson after a years careful
investigation, assures his fellow
countrymen" that they may depend
upon it that no wrong-doer connected
with the Board "will escape punish
ment if his wrong-doing is called to
my (the Admiralty attention"
That FisheroRichardson report a.
lone would seem to supply sufficient
material to engage the attention not
only of the Admiral, but of the crimi-
nal courts for many a long day to
come. And it was this report, it will
be remembered, which Admiral Ben
sons own assistant, Commander Alb
ner B. Clements, characterized on the
witness-stand as true in all essential
particulars.
But the matters for the AdmiraPs
attention do not stop there. With
every days session of the Walsh Com
,mittee the Shipping Board has got
deeper and deeper in the mire. Ii
there were any lingering doubts of
the widespread corruption which ap-
pears to have accompanied the whole
miserable Shipping Board mess, those
doubts must have been dispelled by
the evidence f witness after witness
who has since testified.
Two acres of material, and machin-
cry of $2,000,0O0 value, left rusting
and rotting on the ground at Savan-
nah.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars
of Shipping Board. (that is, of Am
erican taxpayers') money lent to an
insolyent firm of sub-contractors.
A present" to a Shipping Board
inspector of five shares Of stock in
corporation with which the Shipping
Board was making contracts.
A bill of over 100000 paid wtice.
A concern drawing pay for the
work of fifty-eight men when its en-
tire personnel, including bookkeepers,
clerks, typewriters and office boys,
was only fifty-two all told.
An Inspector discharged for send
ing to the White House sample specl-
mems of defective rivets, his COM
plants to subordinate quarters having
been ignored.
Fresh water brought from Norfolk
at cost to the contractor of 80 cents
a ton, sold to the Shipping Board at
a price of $25 ton.
Forces of men sent to do one
day job overlooked for more than a
week and left to while away the time
for which they were drawing full pay
by shooting craps" and other SINH
larly productive occupations.
A Division Shipping Board agent
accommodating a bank account of over
$4,000 during an interval in which
he was paid salary of $4,000.
When an inspector discovered that
a United States official was interested
to the extent of $4,000 in a concern
that was getting an inordinate amount
Of Shipping Board business, he was
warned that he had better keep ST.
lent, as the official in question was
the "closest man" in the State to the
President. Defective steering devices
were installed on vessels, with a re-
sultant loss for repairs of $4,000 on
one vessel alone.
Through column after column of
the daily newspapers has been spread
this appalling exhibit of imbecile in
competence, criminal Indifference,
and unbelievable corruption. The
Fisher Richardson revelations alone
were enough to. make the people of
the country heartsick. Convicts in
volved in million dollar contracts, no.
tel detectives drawing salaries as
Sailors" ship supplies thrown over
board to make room for fresh supplies
with a 'rakeoff" for the steward,
vessels in transit limping into ports,
after rattling off their defective pro-
peller blades; $3.50 each for grape
fruit knives, and Strawberries at 60
cents a quart supplied to foreeastle !