Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-07-08
TASK Of LASKER
VERY DIFFICULT
cHlcAGoAN MADE HEAD OF THE
SHIPPING BOARD KNOWS HE
FACES BIG PROBLEMS.
POSITION A THANKLEss ONE.
LABOR Troubles Must Be Settled and
Some Plan Devised for Successful
Competition With the Ships of 9th
er Nations.
By EDWARD B. CLARK.

BY EDWARD B. CLARK.
Washington.-A new chief of the
United States shipping board has been
man or Chicago, has been given the
job. 1t hurts nothing to say that it
is a hard job and one which politi-
clans did not fall over themselves in
an attempt to seize upon for some
friend.
1t looks today as if within a year
or two the United States will get out
of the shipping business. 1t probably
will dispose of its holdings and let
private ownership go back on the job.
This is the suggestion which seems to
have authority behind it, but it will
take long time before. the end sought,
If it is to be sought, can be reached
The shipping board has had trouble
of one kind or another ever since it
was established in the early days of
the war. Men have come and men
have gone, but the trouble has stuck.
Somebody said that the board was
hoodooed as some ships are said to
be. Perhaps it was not properly
christened, or as some flippant one
has said, perhaps an old-time kind Of
bottle was not broken on the day
Of it's launching.
The senate has voted an additional
$75O00,0OO to carry on the work of
the shipping board. This sum is plus
the first appropriation. It is not def
initely decided yet, because Of opposi.
ton in the house to granting this adj
ditiOnal money.
Knows What Confronts Him.
Mr.. Lasker mas no Illusions. He
knows that he will have trouble to
carry the shipping boards operations
through to high success and he knows
that generally speaking the position
has been regarded as thankless one.
OF course it is too early to deter
mine definitely what the policy of the
new shipping board will be, but among
other things that it will have to do
will be the settlement of lot of labor
troubles, the adoption of some plan
which will enable the American ships
| to compete successfully with foreign
ships, and the solution of other prob
lens which confront the countrys
shipping interests.
/ The government has put something
like three billions Of dollars into its
| fleet of ships. 1t is said that they
will sell today for only about three
quarters of a billion. The reason for
the decrease is not that the ships have
deteriorated, but the unsettled condi-
tons in the world.
A plan has been suggested by which
the shipping board would turn the yes
sells over to private corporations to
have them run the ships at certain
price fixed on the tonnage. It is held
that perhaps the government would
make more money this way than in
any other, but probably, it is said. this
prospective income, if the course were
adopted, would not take care of the
deficit
G. o. p. Women Are lnsistent.
Rear Admiral w. S. Sims, VINO won
fame as the American commander in
European waters during the war,
has been talking again. There is no
intention here to express an opin-
ion as to whether Sims talked right
or talked wrong. While the matter is
in allegiance SO far as the outcome is
concerned, administration officials are
keeping mum. They probably are do
ing a lot of thinking, however. The
people probably will guess at the ma
ture of these thoughts after manner
In keeping with their own thoughts
on the subject.
Army and navy officers from the
very beginning of things in the service
occasionally have been brought into
the field of criticism because they have
opened their mouths. There is reg
ulation forbidding service men from
expressing their opinions in public
writing or in public speech on matters
which are reserved for discussion to
the executive department, and this de-
partment covers a wide field.
There were troubles back in the
Spanish war days over the round
robin" which was signed by many Off
Theodore Roosevelt was one of the
signers of this then famous document.
General Miles and General Corbin had
a controversy during the Spanish war
which was aired in the public prints
and which the administration seemed
to feel went beyond the limits of serv-
ice discretion.
The Quartermaster general of the
army at that time got into real trou-
BILE because of some things which he
either said or wrote.
Memorable Case Of coghIan.
1t is probable that a good many
Americans with memories not neces-
sarily long will recall the after dinner
speech made by Captain Coghlan Of
the navy just after the Spanish war.
He had been in comand of one Of
Dewey's ships at the battle of Manila,
and he, with other American officers,
was extremely resentful at the conduct
of the German admiral who command
ed the kaiser's ships in Manila bay,