Evening star., 1925-04-20
The Ship Board Division.

seeking to have a board, constituted
as the United States Shipping Board
IS constituted, conduct business opera
tions have been demonstrated again.
The particular demonstration has to
do with the sale of the five "Presi-
dent" ships 10 the Dollar Steamship
Co., ships that have hitherto been
operated out of San Francisco by
the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. The
board split. four to three, in favor of
and against the sale. And now to cap
the dissensions of the board, two of
the minority commissioners have filed
in the District Supreme Court affl-
davits to support the contention of
the Pacific Mail Co, which has sought
to enjofn the sale ordered by the ma
jority of the board, which for pur-
poses of orderly government must be
considered as the board itself.
Entirely aside from the merits OF
the sale of the ships to the Dollar
Co, the activities of the minority
members of the Shipping Board in
making their appearance in court-or
what amounts to the same thing
in opposition to the Government of
which they are a part is an astound-
ing thing. President Coolidge, who
has maintained a hands-off policy with
regard to the sale Of the ships by
the board, has been moved by this un-
precedented action to make an inquiry
into the whole matter.
1t is difficult to conceive Of Gov
ernment at all, If it should become
common practice for one set of Off
Gals, involved in the same depart
ment, bureau or board, or even
court, to assail another set in the
courts on important matters arising
before them. Suppose, for example,
an assistant secretary, disagreeing
with his chief, the Secretary of an
executive department, should take the
matter to court. 1t is possible, of
course, that the assistant secretary
might be right; it is possible that the
minority of the Shipping Board may
be right, or minority of the Inter
other Government agency. But au-
thority must center somewhere, so far
as the Government is concerned, or
Government worthy of the name
ceases.
For more than year the President
has been convinced that the operation
and disposition of the Government
merchant fleet should be taken from
the Shipping Board and placed in the
hands of the Emergency Fleet Cor
poratton, which was designed to con-
duct such operations. He has recon-
mended to Congress such separation,
leaving to the board the regulatory
and advisory functions for which it
was originally conceived. But the
board, although it has passed "resolu-
tons" turning over to the Emergency
Fleet Corporation the operation of the
ships, has persistently opposed the
enactment of a law which would ef-
fecnvely and completely do what the
President has recommended. The
board is not without its influence
matter is yet to come.
Under the law the Shipping Board
must be bipartisan. Its members are
selected geographically, to cover all
parts of the country. With such rules
governing the appointment of board
members it would be little short of a
miracle if seven men could be brought
together who would work efficiently
and harmoniously in handling a great
business proposition, such as the
operation of the merchant marine.
differences in such a board pre-
vent action or slow it up, when action
and speed are vitally necessary in
business transactions. The Senate of
the United States and its rules are
sometimes defended because they re-
suit in nothing being done. The same
kind of defense may be entered in
support of the Shipping Board, be-
cause it sometimes halts an unwise
action. But it is quite as possible
that a majority of the Senate may
be right as that minority may be
right, and that a majority of the
Shipping Board may be more correct
than a minority of that board in its
judgment. a little more majority
rule would not hurt the Senate, and
the operation of the Government
shipping business would benefit by
Capitalization under one head.