Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1921-08-18
SHIPPING BOARD
NEEDING MONEY
NEEDS $500 100000 TO MAKE UP
DEFICIT UNDER PREVIOUS
ADMINISTRATION.

washington, Aug. 1S.-Dsclosure
of systematic misrepresentation of
Shipping Board waste and extrava-
gance in the Wilson administration,
nccessitating the appropriation of
another $500, 600 to make up the
deficit, is made by Chairman Lasker
of the new Harding Board.
Chairman Lasker of the Board
said he was prepared to appear be
fore Congressional committees TO OK
plain the condition Of the Boards fl
nances and ask for a relief appro-
priation of approximately S30000O,-
600 for the current fiscal year In
announcing the new estimate of the
deficit incurred in operation of the
government fleet, Chairman Lasker
declared the books of the Shipping
Board were in a "doplorable condi-
ton" and that they could not have
been kept in much different shape
had they been kept with view to
cheating and deceiving Congress and
the country"
81 know and want to explain" the
chairman added, that Admiral Ben
son (former chairman At the Board)
and Auditor Twoedale had not the re-
hottest thing to DO with such gross
Misrepresentation.
The accounting systems, he said,
"wcrc started in the stress Of war
and continued in the stress Of in
competency" and though outside au-
ditors had produced the figures given
out, Il don't guarantee them even
now"
when | showed the President the
figures he was shocked and dismayed
that such a condition could exist,
Chairman Laskcr continued. The
100000 received from operations
when deducted from the $3.50 100000
received by the Board from all
sources shows net expenditures Of
S3S0,000,000, although the public re-
cords show 100000 goo to be all
that had been appropriated by Con-
gress for the year This is an as
founding case Of absolute deception
Of the country and of Congress. II
will be a she X TO Congress, as il was
to the President, to hear that the
net expense of this enterprise paid
out of public funds last year was
$3SO,0OO 900
Chairman Lasker explained that
the extra funds to keep the establish
ments gonig were obtained chiefly
from the sale Of 100000 900 Of CAPT
tai assets, ships and supplies, plus
SS0,000,000 of a balance from funds
left from last year
Approximately 5000 100000 repre-
scnts the absolute loss on operations
in the fleet" he continued, land then
there was Sl60,000.O00 spent on ship
construction. What these newly ac-
quircd assets are worth is highly
questionable.
"Thc plans for the steamer Amer
lean Legion, which starts on its first
trip in few days, were redrawn
seven times, and it is easy to see how
the would run up the cost. First
the American Legion was an army
transport, then a navy transport.
then hospital ship, then il was de
termincd to make her cattle boat,
and after spending money on all
these blue prints, it was decided to
transform her into q passenger ship
and she is a beautiful passenger
ship. But she cost between S6.00O,-
600 and $7000,0O0 before she sailed
her first miles Her real worth is
probably half her cost. SO you can
see the assets are pretty sick assets.
But, after all, there is a fleet SO
our task is to make what was liabil-
itv into an asset -