Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-23

Piez Would Have Emergency
Fleet Handle All Shipping
Board Vessels.
CLAIMS ARE BIG BURDEN
"Sell, Burn or Sink Every Wooden
Ship" Says Former Fleet
Director.

For great American merchant
marine to be developed, three things
must be done, Charles Piez of Chicago
former director general of the Emerg-
ency Fleet Corporation, told the spe-
cfd House committee investigating
the Shipping Board yesterday:
I. Turn over to the Emergency Fleet
Corporation the operation of govern
ment owned ships, thus relieving the
Shipping Board of operation prob
lens. 4
2. Create a tribunal to dispose eN-
peditiously- of the claims that have
grown out of the governments ship
building program, thus again reliev-
ing the Shipping Board from handling
these claims.
8. Let the Shipping Board be free
to develop the merchant marine. as
intended and provided in the mer-
chant marine act.
Denies Mismanagement Charges.
Coupled with these declarations was
. fiat denial by Mr.. Piez of various
charges of mismanagement made
against the construction division OF
the board by Martin j. Gillen in re-
centstestimony before the committee
The witness also denied that Charles
NJ. Schwab had been reimbursed by
the government for his personal ex-
penses while Mr.. Schwab was director
general of the fleet corporation.
Mr.. Piez made no direct reference
former controller of the ShiDDing
former comptroller of the Shipping
Board, that a voucher for $260.0O0 had
been presented for Mr.. Schwab's per
sonal expenses" but he did say posi-
lively that he was certain that no
voucher had ever been issued either
for salary or expenses of'Mr. Schwab
Praising Mr.. Schwab's service to
the government, Mr.. Piez said he had
accepted the job reluctantly because
he expected to be subjected to unfair
criticism, and added that it was ''un-
fortunate that any suggestion of I'M
proper action on Mr.. Schwab's part has
been made at the hearing"
VIII Probe Claims Further.
The committee will return to New
York tonight and tomorrow morning
expects to inquire further into Col
Abadie's charges.
Mr.. Piez's reply to Mr.. Gillen.s
charges was in the form of a pre-
pared statement, which was filed with
the committee and which was not
read because Chairman Walsh sug-
gested that all members had ac-
quainted themselves with it and that
it's reading would only consume time.
In this statement Mr.. Piez declared
that Mr.. Gillen's report did not
square with the facts in "a single
vital instance" and that the charge
Of a lack of an accounting system in
the division of construction was
wholly wrong. The claim also was
made that Mr.. Gil1en's report regard
ing the fleet corporation checks
against authorizations and appro-
priations was absolutely wrong and
that the destructive effect Of Mr. Gill
lens testimony had seriously I'M
paired public interest in the estab-
lishment of an American merchant
marine and pra ctically destroyed the
market for shipping securities.
Urges Sale OF Ships.
Discussing the policy which the
Shipping Board should adopt, Mr.
Piez said the board was spending Sc
per cent of it's time settling war
ciaims-.like a coroper's jury sitting
in a dead past =
Create tribunal that will DISPOSE
OF these claims expeditiously," he
said. Turn over to the.Emeryency
Fleet Corporation completely the
operating of government-ovned
ships. Give the Shipping Board an
opportunity to perform the Functions
outlined for it in the merchznt ma
rine act-the development Of a mer-
chant marine"
Declaring that the wooden ships
had been thorn in the side. of the
American people too long" the wit
Immediately
Sell them at any price" said he
II they can't be sold, burn them or
take them out to sea and sink them !"
GILLEN RApS prrz