The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-08-05
SHIPPING BOARD
LOST THOUSANDS
System OF "Fleecing" at Buenos Aires
Is Barred BY New Government
Agent There.

Buenos Aires. Aug. 4.-The United
safes Shipping Board has been de-
fnnded of many thousands of dollars
though practices which amount TO
SYSTEMATIC fleeing OF the Shipping
Bard Emergency Fleet in Buenos
Ares.
captain Garden, accompanied by
captain Of Engineers, L. c. Farwell,
srived here a month ago to take
barge and protect the Boards inter-
cts. when l arrived here" he said
h the Associated Press, correspondent,
ship chambers. repairmen and others
0nnected with the shipping industry
Eemed to be in general agreement
y mulch the Shipping Board vessels
d the limit.
1.-The Shipping board is rich they
aid. We will get what we cam Ac-
sordingly the board was charged for
things not received, and overcharged
Tor things received until it became so
obvious that was ordered to this port
TO take charge. In receiving my or
ders was told that while the board
appreciated the fact that expenses of
all sorts were high in Buenos Aires
and Montevideo still, it felt that there
must be something wrong when their
vessels paid such prices. for instance,
as 81 pound for butter.
TT seems that the practice was.
when a Shipping Board vessel APP
peared in the roads and signalled it's
desire to enter. for those who had
hopes of selling the vessels supplies
to prepare for plucking of the golden
goose. The result was that when the
ofa ~
the steamship agents and promptly
paid, since it was Shipping Board
money for every conceivable item at
prices based on nothing except de-
sire to obtain easy money.
"Our arrival put quick and effec-
tive stop to all this. We now have
all Shipping Board vessels calling at
this port, report directly to us. we
alone having the right to authorize
purchase of supplies or expenditures
for repairs. All repairs at present
must be made according to specifica-
ton and under bond. Every bill must
have my signature before 1t viii be
paid. and the result Of this has been
saving of as much as SO per cent on
many items. Conditions formerly were
so bad that have even heard that In
some cases food was thrown over
board in order to create shortage SO
hat purchases could be made
During the first four weeks of the
a,nervigion provided by the new ar
Angement II was officially estimated
lat a saving for the Shipping Board,
Mich means for the United States
evernment OF $4,000 for food alone
al SOS. 900 for repairs was made. AS
Jesuit of this campaign at least one
Arrest is expected when certain snip
arrives In New York.
There are % lines under the Ship
ming Board which have vessels calling
at prts in this jurisdiction. There are
on in average % vessels on hand at
All lines. The average cost for main
taAing these Is from $500 to $4,000
can per day. Before the war an
American vessel on the River Plate
vas a curiosity.
l'sSince the Shipping Board had no
kfices of its own to take charge of its
,essels in ports throughout the world,
continued Capt. Garden. lit was unusu-
Ally necessary to entrust the care OF It's
ships to established agencies. Many of
these steamship agents had already Tor
years been the representatives of for
eign and possibly competing lines. The
result has been that in many cases
American vessels have been held back
while other ships were given the pref
erence. causing the expense OF American
ships to mount up through, port
charges and lost time.