The Connecticut labor news., 1921-08-19
CHARGE SHIPPING BOARD IS TRYING TO DESTROY
 ALL GOVERNMENT LINES
Manager of Panama Railroad Says Cam paign to Serve Pri- vate interests Solely is Now On.

the Shipping Boards new chairman, Albert D. I.askcr, describes 1t as "thc worst wreck i'll American history are now engaged i'll a desperate at tempt to destroy the Panama Steam ship COmpany-OWncd and operated by the government. The details have come to light through a hearing con- ductcd by the House Committed on Merchant Marine.
 Army and navy officials, together with officials of the Panama Steam ship Company, appeared before the committee to protest against House resolution 5,34S, designed to wipe out the army and navy transport service and turn it over to private individuals, as well as to SO limit the operations of the Panama Steamship Company as to put ii out of business.
 Representative Edmunds, of Penn sylrania, claims responsibility for this resolution He informed the commit tee that he had read in the Journal of Commerce that the Panama company intended to extend it's service, which would be bad thing for privately op- crated lines.
 Uncle Sam Must Not Make Money
 The Clyde line, operating a few Shipping Board vessels and num- Der which 1t owns outright, IS appar- ently the moving spirit back of this attack on the Panama company: It wants for itself the profitable busl ness that the government has built up during the past 10 years. The Clyde Line denies that it has requested the suppression of government Compcti- ton, but ii Is, according to Represent tative Edmonds, "rclying on our re- -1,1i fN malcy.'
 Thomas H. Rossbottom, third vice president and secretary of the Pan anna Railroad company, which opcr- ates the steamship lines, gave sensa- tional testimony to the committee. He is familiar with the facts, having given all his life to the upbulding of the railroad and steamship company. He stated that all it's stock is owned by the government and that 1t is man aged by a board of directors appoint ed by the Secretary of War, com posed of officials and employees of the government The directors serve without salaries or pcrquistes.
 During the past 10 years the steam ship line has earned a net profit, above interest, depreciation and all overhead charges, in excess of S0, 5oo,ooo In but two years did it fail to return a profit. ii is these profits that private shipping interests Covct, and expect 10 get through the assist anCe that Congress seems too willing to give.
 MT. RoSsbottorn pointed out that ever since the Shipping Board was or ganizcd it has been openly or quietly attacking the Panama line. The gov crnmcnt, he said, treated it's own off spring like stepchild.
 Shipping Board Tactics Exposed
 When the Shipping Board first be- gan to function in 1917, its officials took possession of the I2 seized eX- German and cx-Austrian ships on the Pacific ocean, calling upon the Pan anna Steamship company to take pos session of the entire fleet. The Pan anna Steamship company's work was so successful that an attempt by the anti-2ovcrnment operators was made to amend the merchant marine act 10 prevent the Shipping Board from using the gOvcrnment-OWned and gOvcrnmcnt-opcra Panama Steam ship Company as an agent for any Shipping Board vessels.
 The amendment was defeated, but shocking as ii may seem the Shipping Board proceeded to act precisely as If the amendment had become a law Never thereafter, according to MT. RossbOttOm, was a single ship allO- catcd to the Panama Steamship Com pany for operation. The Shipping Board even went further than this by allOcating Shipping Board boats to forcl@n--controlled steamship com panics in order that they might enter mi c0I1npfitIor with Io mcnt owned Panama Steamship com pany. For more than three years the Panama line has been denied the right to rctaliate while these forcign-own- ed lines operating government ships, have cut rates and praCticed discrim- nations that would have destroyed the governments property had it been less efficiently managed.
 Broke New England Coal Famine
 Nr. ROssbOttOm did not so state in specific terms, but he left the infer cncc with the committee that the Pan anna Steamship company had been thorn in the side of the wreckers of the United States Shipping Board by reason of the fact that it is an cffic- icntly operated goVcrnmcnt-oWncd steamship company, the success of whose operations has continually challenged and diSCrcdited the argu- mcntS of the private steamship com panlcS that government operations of every sort are always disastrous.
 Open hostility Of the Shipping Board became most pronounced dur ing the serious fuel shortage in New England during the winter of IOIz The Panama company had delivered between 6OO, ,OOO and 7OO,OOO tons of coal to New England ports and very materially relieved situation that impcrilcd the nations war activities. Up 10 that time, the witness said, 'thcrc was a perfect feeling of CO., operation and respect between us and the Shipping Board," under whose di- rcCtiOn the Panama company had been operating.
 "Thcn,' said Mr. Rossbottom, "all of sudden, like Iiehtning out of a clear sky, the policy changed. The first we heard Of ii were rumors that we were mighty decent chaps per sOnally, but that, unfortunately, our capital stock happened to be owned by the government, and we ought to be put out Of the steamship business; that we were menace to all other American steamship companies and we ought to be kicked out"
 The purpose of the pending resolu- ton is revealed by Mr. Rossbottom "If the authority which ii seeks to confer on the Shipping Board had been possessed by the old board" he