Evening star., 1923-06-15

coming trial trip of the Leviathans
Chairman Lasker of tire Shipping Board
declared I'm n formal statement last
night that provision fog the trial had
been included in the reconditioning plans
drawn up under q democratic admins
tration and that it was an indispensa-
BILE part of the plans.
CharacteriZing the attacks as party
politics." Mr.. Lasker called upon the
democratic national committee. whose
headquarters here recently issued
statement criticizing the projected Ave
day cruise of thes liner to Cuban waters
AS a waste of public funds. to forget
for the moment its temptation to mis-
represent the political purposes
Plans and specifications for the re-
conditioning of the liner. ME LaSker
said, were prepared by experts engaged
by the Shipping Board when John Bar
ton Payne was chairman. In January
of last year. he said, the experts asked
for an appropriation of $4,000 to
cover the cost OF the trial trip, con-
templating that it should extend at least
five days, and the item was approved by
Congress.
In accordance with the universal prac-
tice, Mr.. Lasker said. the experts in
sisted that 400 or 500 guests be asked
on the Leviathan's trial trip, in order
that the service machinery of the ship
might be given' a thorough test. OF the
total estimated cost, of $4,000 for the
trip, Mr. Lasker estimated that not more
than $4,000 Would be used to pay for
the food and comfort" of the guests.
Mr.. LaSker'S statement follows in
full;
Il have refrained from answering
what seemed TO me an absurd criti-
cism of the trial trip to be taken by
the Leviathan next week. but / feel
that the recent statement issued by
the democratic national committee is
such an unfortunate utterance that
1t should not go unchallenged.
Hits Partisanship.
1t will be matter of great re-
aret to the American people, l. am
sure, when all the facts are known,
to learn that d partisan political COM
mittee has so far forgotten patriot
ism as to play party politics on a
matter which should he obviously
non partisan.
What | feared would happen has
happened. I was one Of those who
advocated a ship subsidy because |
believed that was the only way to
insure merchant marine in com
petition with the private shipping
enterprises of foreign countries.
feared that if we had government
operation. il would merely mean that
our whole shipping problem would be
continuously IA foot ball in party poll
tics The democrats played their part
in filibustering against ship su bsidy.
arguing that government operation
was the solution to our merchant ma
Iine problem. Now. however, at the
very first opportunity, when we are
launching what we aspire to make
the greatest ship in the World-when.
indeed. the heart of every American
should beat proudly over the achieve
mont in the reconditioning of the in
comparable Leviathan--we are con-
fronted with the spectacle of a po-
litical committee picking flaws and
endeavoring by gross misrepresenta-
tion to muddy the waters.
what are the facts? 1t would ap-
pear, on reading the statement Of the
democratic national committee, that
the trial trip of the Leviathan was
suddenly conceived. and that guests
we're invited purely as a private
criticism would be fully justified. par
ticularly in these days when. as
President Harding rightly says econ-
omy in government is the, paramount
"rhe truth Of the matter is that
this very trial trip was fully pro-
Vided for by experts engaged in De-
cember, 1919, by a Shipping Board
headed by John Barton Payne. under
the democratic administration. If the
critics had only taken the trouble
to look up the records. they would
have found that the plans and speci-
ffcations for the reconditioning of
the Leviathan were not hastily made.
testing of the great ship in the pro-
posed trial trip, was worked out long
in advance, even to the last dollar
that would be spent. The experts
who prepared the plans and speoi-
fications for the reconditioning of the
Leviathan and who still have sole
charge OF the work were engaged by
the board under John Barton Payne.
in December, 1919.
more than one hundred craftsmen
an q
contract until October, 1921. in the
preparation of the plans and speci-
hcations. These were embodied in
three printed volumes, requiring over
1900 pages. Before the board ac-
cepted these specifications they were
reviewed by experts from all the big
shipbuildinG companies in America.
Included in these specifications was
provision for the moving of the vessel
from the reconditioning yard to-. the
dry dock, to be followed by a trial
trip on the high seas such now
will be taken. One reason for both
runs is only half power should be
generated on the trip to the dry dock.
where the hull was to be scraped and
cleaned and which had not been done
for years.
Asked for Money.
I'm January. 1922. the experts re-.
ferred to having in charge the recon-
ditioning asked the present board.
among other sundry items required
for the completion of the Leviathan,
to appropriate $4,000 to cover the
cost of the trial trip. which sum in
cluded the cost of guests. The ex-
perts then, as now. contemplated at
least five days for the trip. At that
time--fully sixteen months ago-the
board. consisting of four republicans
and three democrats. unanimously ac-
cepted the recommendation of the ex-
pertS and made the appropriation. At
the same time, at hearing of the
House appropriations committee, in
reporting the various items that. went
into the total of the Leviathan's re-
conditioning cost, the board included
q trial trip.
when the government took. over
the beviathan. during the war. the
Navy. first having made sure her ma
chinery had not been tampered with.
but, in face of some necessary re-
pairs, which are minor compared to
those now made. sent the ship on
more than a fve-day trial cruise in
southern Waters-fve precious days
necessarily lost to war transport,
III would be futile to array the
opinion of the democratic national
committee along side that Of practi-
Americas shipbuilding and operating
companies. Fortunately, the respon-
sibility for a thorough test of the
Levtathan is not upon the shoulders
or tne democratic national committee
but rests solely with the United States
government.
Practice Customary.
TT is customary practice the world
over to have trial trips for all yes
sells, but particularly extexfsfed trips
before passenger ships like the Le-
viathan are put into regular service
/ need only recall the extensive trial
trips taken by the Lusitanfas and the
Mauritania. -.
.,NThA LeYiafhan is the hiRgest shin