Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-07-28
UNCLE TED ENJOYS
THE KIDS COMPANY
TELLS WHAT A Splendid MAN
PRESIDENT HARDING Is, AND
GREAT THINGS DONE

What of il? I don't suppose
some people do like 70 be told about
how their money was wasted before,
during and after the war, but this
is a FACT" Jack was engaged in his
of his chums who don't always
agree with him.
"And what is the discussion all
about now" asked Uncle Ted, who
had been wedding the garden and
had found shady spot where he
could join the children and rest for
awhile.
II read something about how
President Harding and everybody
else has just discovered the terri
BILE waste of money in the Shipping
Board, and how hard the new chair
man, Mr.. Lasker, is working to make
real American merchant marine
out OF an awful mess"
Jack, you seem 10 be reading
the papers like a real American boy
should. I'm proud to see you TAX
ing an interest in the affairs of your
country. Since you have mentioned
the Shipping Board, I'm going to
tell you a little story about that.
when Warren G.. Harding first
announced that he would be proud
to serve his country and his fellow
men as Chief Executive of this great
nation, one of the things that he
mentioned first was the great ne
cessity for American ships carrying
American goods on the high seas
everywhere. He knew and we knew
that we had Shipping Board, ere
ated for the war, which Board must
continue to handle the hundreds of
ships which were built by the
Boards authority.
President Harding didn't pick
the first man who came along TO
take charge of this important work.
He looked around for a man who not
necessarily knew anything about
ships, but man with a big business
head, a man who had made good,
who saw things in big way and
who was not afraid of work. He
found that man in chicago, and his
name is Albert ID. Lasker, now the
chairman of the q. S. Shipping
Board.
"Mr. Lasker didn't waste any
time getting started, either. Before
the country realized that he was at
work, he had called on the Presi-
dent to show him a statement of
figures TO prove that gross ineffi-
cheney, carelessness and incompetent
cy had been used in the running Of
the Shipping Boara before he be-
came chairman. Mr.. Lasker said
the President was shocked and dis
mayed and / should think he would
be when you learn that the Shipping
Board used $3.50, 100000 Of the
treasury money last year. That is
some money, at best, but that isn't
all! About $500, 100000 of that
amount was an absolute loss. Mr..
Lasker also pointed out that the
books of the Board were in a deplor-
able condition, so bad that he doubts
II they really can ever be made
straight.
Riddles, it is a crime the way
money was wasted and the people
deceived. Listen to what Mr. Las
ker said to the newspaper men after
he talked with the President:
81 want to say il is inconceivable
that an institution like this could be-
in existence and be turned over to
men to administer in the shape II is.
Had the books been kept with the
view to cheating and deceiving Con-
gress and the country, they could
not have been kept in much differ
ent shape than they have been, and
| measure the words ! am using.
1t has almost worn me out physical
ly and mentally to get anything
from the books that could be regard
ed as complete. Va
at makes me sore to think of
things in that shape when the best
help in the world was obtainable
and money no object" said Jack.
81 guess it'll be cleaned up pref
ty soon If Mr.. Lasker and President
Harding have anything to say" COM
mented Ruth.
eyes, you bet. Now that I've told
you about waste, listen to some
thing about saving. When Presi-
dent Harding made Gen. Dawes Di-
rector Of the Budget, some people
said he talked a lot and made a lot
of noise but never did anything. He
has done so much already that he
has saved the Government S12,612,-
628 by cutting 1t from the $4,000
900, 900 estimated appropriations for
expenses for the cur
rent fiscal year. Another thing that
has been stopped is what is known
as deficiency appropriations. When