The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-16
SHIP BOARD RECORD
UPHELD BY BENSON
Mistakes Were Inevitable in
$4,000, 100000 Business
Operation, He Says.
TAKES FLING. AT CRITICS
Calls 1t 'Child's Play to De-
stroy Confidence Through
Erroneous Reports.
TAKES FLING. AT CRITICS

CHARLESTON, S. c., Nov. 15.-Reply-
ing to critics of the Shipping Board and
Emergency Fleet Corporation. Rear Ad-
miral w. S. Benson, chairman of the
board, declared in an address here to-
night before the South Atlantic Ports
Association that his fellow countrymen"
could depend upon 1t that no wrongdoer
connected with the board will escape if
his wronsdoing is called to my atten-
Il IN"
Not only have / insisted upon the
closest watch upon all matters" said
chairman Benson, but / have followed
the work OF the Shipping Board in every
port of the world with the one thought in
mind that we are now reaching that
crucial moment which spells either the
success or failure of permanent mer-
chant marine.
There is no effort on our part to shirk
whatever responsibility we have as
sumed We have insisted that at all
times the records Are open to the public
Every facility is offered to those who
desire information.
Says Fraud Was Inevitable.
ut is an easy matter for any one to
pick flaws in an organization like the
Shipping Beard. We had to train $780,
600 shipbuliders. and in the manning OF
our ships we have had to train thousands
cf men. OF course. in an organization
of this magnitude you will find here and
there evidences of wrong doing, and now
and then ylu will uncover a systematic
effort to defraud 1t was necessary for
the Shipping Board to employ men whose
sole responsibility was the uncovering
of wrongdoing, and these men We're
charged with a heavy responsibility.
The men whom we depend upon to be
checks upon those who might be tempted
to do wrong bear a heavy responsibility
if they failed us, but in an organization
spending more than three billion dollars,
where as the largest steamship operator
| in the world, millions of dollars are eX-
pended from day to day, 1t would be
humanity impossible to prevent all wrong
doing or to do business without suffering
! financial losses from time to time"
Men of vision will take into considera-
/ ton the whole picture presented by
! shipping problems, Chairman Benson
/ asserted, recalling the work done by the
/ American merchant marine during the
I war, and praising the vision OF Edward
~ Hurley, who, as chairban of the
/ board after the armistice, went ahee d
with the shipbuilding programme.
] Responsibility IOF inc eSldpllsHHitIlt W
/ a permanent merchant marine rests
with the American people as well as
with the board. Chairman Benson de-
clared adding that "it is the response
! biity Of every newspaper publisher In
! America, and l have time and again
called upon the press, and they have
met me in a noble manner. 10 spread
this message before the world-that
America is now ship independent"
says Task Is Not CbiId's Play.
Declaring that he was charged. as
chairman of the board, with great le-
sponsibiity, Chairman Benson said nc
would be cowardly If he refused "a
exercise to the best of his judgment the
powers vested in him.
IF mistakes have been made" he
said, they were mistakes that naturally
may be expected in such a stupendous
enterprise, involving as it does the &C
! tive employment of more than l 500 sea-
| going vessels, with the manifold prob
ems involved in ship operation. The
| completion of a huge shipbuilding pro-
/ gramme embracing the payment Of mill
/ IONS of dollars and the settlement of
/ thousands of claims which come as 4
result OF an effort to be fair to those
men who, when we needed them, placed
/ their facilities at our disposal and en-
I deavored TO do everything within their
\ power to help this country in its ship
| building programme.
/ I'VE are engaged in no child's play
/ our effort is worldwide. Our work
/ reaches into every part of the world ;
/ 1t affects every interest. 1t is your
business to watch this development and
4 critically to examine our work from day
I TO day 1t is your business TO question
\ what we do. II is good thing that men
are awakened TO the splendid opportu-
nifty shipping affords but while 1t is no
child's play to build up this vast world
wide organization. I do say 1t is child's
play on the part of any one who heed
lessly spreads erroneous Impressions
which tend 10 destroy confidence in our
ability TO maintain, support and develop
n permanent merchant marine, privately
owned Al we ask is constructive criti-
cism."