New-York tribune., 1921-06-04
Senate Grants
Shipping Board
Slll,OOO,O00
BilI Passed Carries S55.-
100000 More Than Was
Voted by House and Now
Goes 10 Conference
Wooden Ships To BE Sold
sol 100000 Is for Com
plotting Construction of
Vessels Almost Finished
From TIE 77ribane's 1'ashiua'on Bnreal, !,

From The iTs6WHe'S II RastJNosoH RtYeaa
WASHINGTON, June S.v-After an.
other long discussion to-day, in coh-
nection with the deficiency appropria-
lion bill, the Senate agreed to the
amendment Of the appropriations COM
nsttee increasing by S50.ooo,ooo the
sems allowed the Shipping Board up
10 the end Of this fiscal year. The SEN
ste then passed the bill. 1t carried
si5600o. .0oo. Il now goes to confer
ence.
The increases in the bill include
St95D.00O added by amendments for
solder hospital projects; S500,00o for
the Speedway or Broadview Hospital
st Chicago. and $758,00G for the Daw-
son Springs kentucky sanitarium.
The Senate in finally approving the
hiU included the appropriation of
S90o.0o0 for enforcement Of the pro-
hibition amendment.
With the amendment adopted the
+atol carried in the bill for the Ship
nine- board is in round numbers SILL
.aab fa0 OF this amount S61 900 900 is
For completing construction of ships
which are nearly completed. The re-
rsinder is to meet claims for damages
s1d various other purposes. The bill
as passed by the Senate carries $55,-
O0o,000 more than was voted by the
House.
The amendment, in spite of much bit
ter criticism of the Shipping Board
nolicy. was passed without division.
After il was adopted, Senator Lenroot
secured adoption of an amendment un-
der which the feet corporation is re-
nRired TO sell the wooden ships by
Senator Lenroot said he was aware
this meant sale of the wooden ships
as aiunk," but even to. do this would
save the government $4,000 to $4,000
month, which it now costs to keep
them and take care Of them.
Senator Jones, OF Washington, chair
man of the Commerce Committee, held
that Congress ought TO ignore the past
and waste no time critlcizlng what had
been done. but try TO build up the mer-
) chant marine for the future This was
also the view of Senator Edge, of New
Jersey, and OF Senator Fletcher, Of
Florida.
Would Wreck Merchant Marine
AH Congress is not prepared to do
what is necessary TO pay the cost then
there isn't any question that we might
can merchant marine will be driven OF
the sea-" said Senator Jones.
He declared that on the other hand,
If the American people backed up the
President and a reorganized Shipping
Posrd took hold OF the situation he
believed the country will get strong
merchant marine He insisted the
American people were paying the price
Of unpreparedness now, and predlcted
the tide would turn and eventually,
with revival of business, the merchant
marine would be profitable.
Senator Fletcher, admitting there was
much to criticize, pleaded Tor the
amendment.
a merchant marine is essential for
national Defense" he said. England
could never have waged, much less won.
the war, without her merchant marine
Senator Calder also supported the
amendment. Despite the present con-
ditions. he pointed out, many Of the
government ships already are self
sustaining.
Senator Kenyon opened to-day's de-
bate with a sharp assault on the ex-
travagance and waste under the Ship
ping Board. He insisted that the Sen
ate should order an Investigation into
the affairs Of the board, under the reso-
luton presented by Senator King, OF
Utah, yesterday, and should see to It
the waste was stopped. 1t was I'M
possible, he declared, to build up a
merchant marine under such condi-
tions.
Taking up the list Of salaries paid
by the Shipping Board to officials, he
asserted there was a small army Of
highly paid officials, many more thar
neened
@Many Of these officials get salarie.
that make the pay of a Senator lool
almost like 80 cents" Ia.d Senator
Kenyon
Going over the list of attorneys in
employ of the board ne called atten
uon 10 the general counsel at $4,000,
special assistant at 81 500, various at
torneys at $4,000 or $4,000 and about
twenty-five assistant counsel at $4,000
and upward.
1t can't be that all Of these Offices
ana officers are essential to carry on
the work" said Senator Kenyon.
lie called attention to numerous
otner otfciais, such as the director of
industrial relations at $4,000, the di-
rector OF construction at $4,000, the
treasurer at $4,000.
, Nearly 100000 q year was allowed
tne comptrOller's Office, said Senator
1Aehyon, the general comptroller get
SSng $4,000 year, twice the pay of a
senator. An assistant got $500, two
aeputy general comptrollers $4,000
,1. sSeh and special deputy $4,000, in
SUCTION to ether high salaried aids.
senator Smoot called attention to the
sact that the highest paid auditor in any
~ tHe government departments got
s9yoO or only one-third OF what the
'hippng Board comptroller received.
Not Using American Ships
Senator Pomerene, referring to the
.s: aset that Americans are not Using our
ships, called attention to a complaint
mace to him that American ships were
carrying freight from Hamburg, Ger
many, 70 Argentina, at lower rate
.ash from New York to Argentina. He
taought this unfair TO American rner-
s saants and said he had sought an ex-
plsnation from the Shipping Board.
senator Poindexter asserted that
sonp time ago, the agent OF the Ship
gp.hg board at Valencia, Spain, was the
British Consul.
The whole thing ought to be inves-