Evening star., 1925-09-01
Another Ship Board Issue.


Bert E. Haney, member 90 the
Shipping Board from Oregon, has
locked horns with President Coolidge
over the operation of the Govern
ment- owned merchant fleet. The
President has insisted from the time
of his entrance into office that the
operas ton of the merchant fleet should
becontroiIed by the Emergency Fleet
Corporation and its president, and
he chose former Admiral Leigh c.
Palmer as president of the corpora
tion, to whom he has given his con-
slant support. Commissioner Haney
is seeking to oust Admiral Palmer
from the presidency of the Fleet Cor
poration. This. President Coolidge
declares, is contrary to the under
standing which Mr.. Haney had with
the President last June when the
President reappointed him as COM
missioner He has asked Mr.. Haney's
resignation. -
Mr., Haney. in a letter TO the Presi-
dent, asserts he had no such under
standing as that implied by the
President in his telegram to Mr..
Haney demanding his resignation, and
declines to resign. If Mr.. Haney did
not understand at the time of his re-
appointment that the President in
tended to continue Admiral Palmer in
office, and that he desired the opera
tion of the fleet turned over to the
Fleet Corporal ton by the board, he
must have been difficult of under
standing The President has again
and again made his position clear
to the Shipping Board and to the
country. Mr.. Haney in his letter de-
clares that he accepted reappoint-
ment only after he had told the Presi
dent that he did not approve of Ad-
miraI Palmer's course in regard 10
the ships, and that he accepted ap-
pointment reluctantly. The fact re-
mains, however, that he did accept
appointment at the hands of the
President. -
In declining to submit his resigna-
ton as demanded by the President,
Mr.. Haney emphasizes his RESPONSE
bility to Congress to carry out the
merchant marine act. He forgets
that The Chief Executive is just as
responsible as any member of the
Shipping Board. and more so, per-
haps, to carry out all the laws en-
acted by Congress. The fact that the
81,
does not differentiate it from other
executive agencies of the Govern
ment. Congress has created by law
all athe various departments of the
Goyernment. A member of the Ship
ping Board has no more power to
set himself up against the Chief Ex-
ecutiye in the matter of enforcement
of the law than any other official of
the Government so created.
AS in the case of other officials ere
ated by Congress, members oil the
Shipping Board are appointed by the
Chief Executive, who also was given
authority by Congress TO remove
them from Office for cause" which
AHNiAoSo IiidllGdSditCS, Incompetence
or neglect.
At the bottom of the row lies the
unwisdom of the present merchant
marine act. which places the Emer-
geucy Fleet Corporation under the
Shipping Board. The President has
recommended to Congress a change
in the law divorcing the two abso-
lutely, and it may be confidently ex-
pected this proposal will be pressed
for action when Congress reassem-
hles. The Shipping Board originally
was" created as regulatory body,
similar to the Interstate Commerce
Commission. During the stress of
war emergency it was given certain
duties to perform regarding ship
operation, and the present merchant
marine act continued the board in
this position of authority, though
with the direction that it should act
through the Fleet Corporation.
The operation of the fleet by the
Shipping Board proved inefficient and
COSTLY. President Coolidge deter
mined that 1t was necessary to make
use of the agency provided for in
therlaw, and he asked the board to
keep its hands off and allow the COR
poration to handle the ships At his
behest; resolutions have been passed
by the board TO turn over the opera =
ton Of the ships to the Fleet Corpo-
alton. It was well understood that
if members of the board had not
agreed TO such procedure. they would
not have been continued in office, and
a number of them have been reap
pointed since that understanding with
the President.
Admiral Palmer's administra ton of
the fleet has saved the Government
millions of dollars, and at the same
time ahas increased the efficiency of
the. feet.