The New York herald., 1921-06-25
LASKER TO SALVAGE
SHIP BOARD WRECK
Continued from First Page.

discuss the problem with them i came
here to-day.
'-The best hope in this situation lies
In the ship operators themselves. not
only because the law says they are TO
be the ultimate owners but also beca ause
they have had the practical experience.
I'm not going to try to bunk the public
with the patriotic raZz that everybody
in the shipping business is a crook.
That is not true of the ship owners
either here or In any other port. When
ever I find / have to be a demagogue I
will have to quit this job"
Mr. Lasker was shy of making prom
ises II wish Mr.. Teagle had accepted
the post. for he would have made a
better chairman than I can," said he.
But | am here on a job where we have
been changing the chairmen faster than
they change pitchers in a losing base
ball game. | am going to do my best.
II l do not succeed I'll just go home as
quietly as I can. II I do make good.
then I'll pose for my picture every five
minutes. If you like.
But / told the shipping men and
wish you would tell the public they must
not expect any great Improvement in
conditions for a long time. Reorganiza-
ton of the Shipping Board is the prime
essential to pulling 1t out of it's troubles.
Therefore ! want to draw for the
country a picture of small immediate
promise OF measurable performance.
But I do pledge intensive work toward
establishing a solid foundation for the
permanent solution of our problem. And
to that end ] need the closest coopera-
ton of the ship owners and operators.
Seeks Payment of Claims.
Mr.. Lasker here spok of the $780,
000.0 outstanding claim against the
board. He thought II outrageous that
there had been such great delay in the
adjustment Of some of these that many
claimants had been driven to bank
ruptcy while awaiting adjudication. The
men whonS the President will appoint to
the new court of claims. both he and
Mr.. Schlessinger said, will be of a promi-
nence and standing that will command
universal respect. Mr.. Schlessinger ad-
mitted that the Craftsmanship of the three
had been offered by the President to a
man widely known in New York and
we'll qualified, but as he had not ye,
accepted he could not be named. All
three members, Mr.. Schlessinger said
would be of the 100000 q year class,
although the Government could not pay
them any such sum, and 1t was hoped
they would serve largely as a patriotic
duty.
The luncheon, at which Mr.. Schles-
singer met a dozen leading metropolitan
attorneys, was held in the Bankers
Club. Speaking afterward OF the state
of disorganization and tnadequacy he
had found upon taking hold of the
Shipping Boards legal department Mr..
Schlessinger said:
II found we had no record of suits
begun against the board. Nobody knew
who was suing us nor how much we
were being sued for-and nobody knows
to-day. l learned that we had pending
about 900 civil suits scattered all over
the country. They involve about $5o,-
00O. 900. and these cases all are being
defended by United States District At
torneys, all overworked already and
all primarily criminal lawyers with
no experience in the civil law
suits Are Way Behind.
I'm the legal department of the Ship
ping Board I found a corps OF young
lawyers getting on an average of 5.0O(
a. year. and some of them are trying
cases involving from 81 100000 to s20,-
10000 against lawyers of the calibrt
of George w. Wickersham. former At
torney General. l found also 100 ad
miralty cases actually pending in thu
admiralty courts and being defended
| in the same way. OF these there ar,
| 100 in New York city alone, and w
| Davis Conrad. our assistant admiralty
! counsel in this district. with the helI
of five men. has to prepare these cases
as we'll as try them. This office has
called for help before and mas peen un
| able to get it.
Pending before the claims depart
ment of the Shipping Board also are
| 900 claims involving between $50 .00c, 00(
and 500. 900. 900. not TO mention many
| others which are on their way unadju
| dicated from the several construction
| districts of the country. We have
claims coming in every day from con.
Germs which are being forced into bank
ruptcy by these delays.
why, gentlemen, the mythical hert
| who cleaned out the Augean stables wa:
the atmosphere we have around us. II
we had no such CLANS at all IL would
require considerable legal force q
keep abreast with the current litigation
! incident to the running of the largest
shipping plant in the world. We own
among other things. electric railways
gas plants, houses and other real prop
erty."
Mr.. Lasker estimated that the Ship
ping Board Is and has been for several
months losing at the rate of abou;
SIS 100000 a month on operations alone
without allowing for depreciation, and
that the figure Is likely to increase be-
cause of the paralysis in the shipping
industry