The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1920-11-16
Easy to Pick Flaws in Huge
Marine Operations. Ad-
miral's S Plea.
ADMITSMISTAKES MADE
New Agreement Is Defended
As Best Plan to Conserve
Public. Interest.

Pleading that in such gigantic op-
erations as were rushed to speedy
conclusion by the Shipping Board, 1t
is humanity impossible to prevent all
graft and corruption, Admiral Ben
son, chairman of that organization.
last night pledged himself to bring
all the wrong -doers to Justice.
"As a former Naval officer who
shipped forty-eight years ago to
serve his country. / believe that my
fellow countrymen can depend upon
| it that no wrong -doer will escape
II his wrong doing is called to my
attention" said the Admiral.
Although this pledge was given
in an address before the South At
lantic Ports Association. Charleston.
S. c.. II was made public in Wash
ington.
Easy to Criticize.
1T is an easy matter fer anyone
to pick flaws in an organization
like the Shipping Board" said Ad-
miral Benson. we had to train
100000 shipbuilders, and in the
manning OF our ships we had to
train thousands of men. The Sea
Service Bureau alone placed a total
of Iso,ss1 officers and men during
the fiscal year ending June 80. 1920.
Tn an organization of this mag
nitude. you will find here and there
evidences of wrong doing. and now
and then you will uncover a sys-
tematic effort to defraud.
1T was necessary for the Ship
ping Board to employ men whose
sole responsibility was the uncov-
ering of wrong-doing and these
men were charged with a heavy re-
sronsibility.
THE men who we depended upon
to be checks upon those who might
be tempted to do wrong bear a
heavy responsibility. IL they failed
us, but in an organization spending
,npre than three billions of dollars,
i is would, hs. shsmaniys Iimpoestbsestn
| prevent all wrong doing sor to do
losses from time to time.
Mistakes Were Possible.
"If mistakes have been made they
were mistakes that naturally may
be expected in such a stupendous
enterprise involving, as II does, the
active employment of more than
1000 sea-going vessels, with the
manifold problems involved in ship
operation and the settlement OF
thousands of claims which come as
result Van effort to be fair to
those men who when we needed
them placed their facilities at our
disposal and endeavored to do
everything within their power to
help this country"
The report of special investigators
to the Walsh committee lays par
ticular stress on a new agency
agreement between the board and
private operators of government
vessels which. IL charges. will give
the operators more leeway than
they have ever had before.
Admitting that the new agree
ment was accepted after consulta-
tjon with the private shipping in
terests, Admiral Benson disagrees
Will tnb COhCiust0n VI INC ihNSSli-
gators.
Agreement Followed. Long Study.
The new agency agreement for
the operation of. the Shipping
Boards feet was accepted after
months of exhaustive study by the
committee on agents agreements,
composed of representatives of the
board and all the steamship asso-
Citations of the country" he e&-
planned. 1T bears the unanimous
recommendation OF that committee,
and. therefore, has the support and
backing of the steamship men
themselves--both owners and non-
owners.
Under this agreement the agent
will get nothing at all IL he lets a
ship lie idle. His commissions being
based on the freight collected, he
must. to make anything, not only
secure cargo. but secure 1t at the
best possible freight rates and dis
patch the ship quickly"
The board is now considering a
plan, the admiral stated. by which
private operators will gradually be
given almost complete independence
of operation, and whereby the
boards personnel and overhead ex-
penses. particularly in foreign
ports, will be greatly reduced.