Evening star., 1923-05-08
EFFICIENCY T0RULE
Yin SHIPPING BOARD
President Decides Against
! Politics in Clash Over
Leviathan Terminal.
ny DAVID LAWRENCE.

Politics and efficiency have had
their first real clash with respect to
government operation of merchant
ships. and efficiency has won.
Efforts Of New Jersey republicans
led by Senator Walter Edge. who is
a candidate for reelection next time.
to persuade President Harding to re-
verse the decision of the United
States Shipping Board and permit the
giant liner Leviathan to dock at
Hoboken pier instead of New YORK
have failed completely and the word
has ben passed out that this incident
may be taken as an example or the
methods that will be pursued In mat
ters Of this kind in the future.
Feared Loss Of Patronage.
IT was insisted that Hoboken, n. j..
was entitled to consideration because
Of its traditional position as well as
because Of Willingness to furnish
dock space free. The New York NUM-
cipal pier Will cost the government
d rental of about 100000 a year. The
Shipping Board experts. who took the
matter under adviSement, originally
came to the conclusion that even Win
free rental it would cost the govern
ment more in the end because the
transhipment of mails across the
Hudson river by ferry and the other
tnconvenienCeS to passengers VINO
would wish to drive to the pier eltner
in their own automobiles or IN TAXI
cabs would tend to drive business 10
the foreign vessels which have piers
tn New York city.
As an evidence OF the WISDOM .!
their contention. the experts Polnten
out to Mr.. Harding that the torelsn
companies were very anxious TO pre-
vent. if possible the docking or the
1,eviathan Oh the New York slde OF
the river. II was represented tha'
they believed they would be IN q pet
ter competitive position II the Lesl
sthau were kept on the Hoboken side:
The Post Office Department estimates
a. cost of $4,000 in carrying the mains
across for each trip. but the con-
trolling consideration was toA'eh
fence 20 prospective passengers
President Backs Experts.
II rarely happens that the govern
hent turns down something that 10
nffsred free when it has to pay sloo'-
200 a year for virtually the saiie
thing, and this was emphasized ny
the New Jersey contingent ,,a do
Business Judgment alone couiu
ctdc whether in the long run II "ouiu
be more profitable to operate 'Ia Ir9sLa
New York city pier, and the fresiueu.
and Chairman Lasker, who were IN
Florida when the shipping eApei,s
made their decision, took tne slue
Of the experts and have stood square
Iy behind them ever since.
While Hoboken is a democra.ic
community, and so is New YORK eitsi
It would have prooaois ,hIinan uThu
noiitically if he could have swung the
decision to Hoboken. He has been
staunch administration republlcah
and will have close ebinb nEh has ,e lust
eiected democratic United states
senator. Naturally he is disappointed
at the lack of political support gwen
him by the administra ton put eA
pediency Will have little effect on me me
Governments shipping policy, and MT:
Harding has taken occasion TO point
out that If aggressive competition
with foreign ships Is TO pc etieceiNeny
conducted by the United states gov
ernment it cannot give consideration
TO political factors.
Politics Banned.
The Shipping Board has been under
constant bombardment from the poll
ticians. but. one after the other, sem
ators and representatives. VINO nave
not found the Shipping Board anne
nable to their wishes. The board as
rule has made it's decision and put
UP to Mr.. Harding the question OF
whether he wished TO reverse theii
FOR political reasons. but the Presi-
dent has in every instance refused 10
allow politics to sway him. He feels
that such a course ia more than ever
necessary now when larger appro-
priations will be needed to keep the
governments feet in active competi-
ton with foreign ships. Business ef-
flciency alone will be the deciding
factor and If Mr.. Harding can man
age it the Shipping Board will have
even less politics in it than the ham
ding Of funds in the old days for
naval shipyards and repairs.
Already there have been cases In
which southern shipyards have bid
less for repair work than northern
yards located in republican states,
but the government has let its con-
tracts to lowest bidders-it has done
what private concern would do
under similar circumstances, and
that will continue to be the ruling
principle OF Shipping Board opera
tions hereafter.
Copyright. 1929