The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-11-23
FURTHER DISCLOSURES
Of STUPENDOUS WASTE
EQUIPMENT WORTH MILLIONS
LEFT no ROT IN GEORGIA
AND FLORIDA SHIP YARDS.
BOARD SPENT BILLIONS
Had No Data on Securities Worth
$24O, 100000, and No Record Show
ing in Detail Expenditures of ST.
500, 900, OOO-NO Balance Sheets.

100000, OO0-NO Balance Sheets.
NEW Machinery and ship
building equipment valued at millions
of dollars was left out in the open to
deteriorate in value months after
plants were closed down with the end
ing of the war, Pauly H. MacNiel, a
former resident engineer of the ships
ping board in the South Atlantic dis.
trict, testified today before the con-
gressional committee investigating
shipping board affairs.
MacNiel said he was stationed at
Savannah and had five yards under
his supervision, his Immediate chief
being r. H. Dillingham;, at Jackson
| vile, the district plant engineer. Just
what his own authority was he did not
know, he testified, but he said he las
sunled a great deal in the endeavor to
straighten out tangles."
II found nothing had been done to
take care of the properties and valu-
able machinery was left uncovered to
the weather." he said. On his own
responsibility he took steps to save as
much of it as was possible. He in
voiced the properties as to quantity
and percentage depreciation, but not
as to value. His "guess" at its value
was between 81 100000 and 100000.
He also asserted that in the auditing
of the afafirs of the plant one hum
dred and one numbered vouchers could
not be accounted for.
Told to Keep Hands OF.
Another point he made was that
equipment, ordered previous to the
closing of the plant, was still coming
to the yard. He tried to have it stop
ped and suggested it was new and
could be returned to the vendors by
payment of the freight only.
"They told me to keep my hands of
and let the machinery come" MacNeli
declared
Speaking of the national shipbulld-
| ing company the witness said that
work there had shut down previous
to his arrival on the scene. He valued
the equipment of this yard at about
81 500 900 and added that while there
was sufficient lumber at hand to buiid
sheds to protect the exposed machln-
| ry it was not done.
He testified to alleged conditions
at Norfolk in 1919, naming the Union
Iron Works as a company which was
doing repair work for the board.
This company, he said, had force
of only So persons in its employ, and
drew pay for great deal larger num-
Der.
Four Billion Spent.
"There has been a $4,000, 900
/ loss in the United States shipbuilding
program. The money is gone just as
though you had shot it away IN pow
/ der"
i Martin j. Gillen, until recently as
sistant to the chairman of the United
States shipping board, made this state
ment on the witness stand before the
congressional investigation committee
here.
"Until the American people realize
there has been a $4,000, 100000 loss
and write it off, just as the clothing
dealer and all other business firms
have been compelled to write eff de-
probation recently, we can not es-
tablish a solid, profitable, merchant
marine" Gillen advised.
The United States shipping board
spent nearly $4,000 100000 on Amer
ica's shipping program and earned
nearly $500, 100000 by it's operation
of government-owned vessels, but 1t
has no system, and did not know where
stood financially, said Gillen.
He testified that among the concl-
tions which existed were the follow
ing: ~.
I There was no record showing in
the board of securities valued at more
than $24O, 100000, which the board
held.
hTere was no record showing in
detail how $2,50O,00G,000 had been ex-
pended up to that time.
There was no record of accounting
with operators of shipping board yes
sells, nor no way of determining how
much money belonging to the govern
ment they had in their possession.
On November 1st of this year, the
witness said, of the sum of $780, OO,-
600 expended there had been submit
ted to the treasury vouchers to cover
only S2,7O0, 100000. Vouchers repre-
senting disbursements of $900,O0O,00O
had been excepted to" by the treas
urer because of lack of sufficient sup
porting data, and. there was yet to be
presented vouchers amounting to ST.
100, 100000.