Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-26
was employed to do some work for

was employed to do some work for
the Transoceanic.
After Chairman Shortridge had COM
pleted his questioning of Mr.. Wilder,
Senator Robinson, the ranking Demo-
crat, closely cross questioned the wit
ness. He drew an admission that Mr..
Wilder had quarreled with Mr.. Bardo
over the secret employment of Mr..
Shearer at the Geneva conference and
had urged to him to acknowledge him
publicly as his agent and make clean
breast OF the matter, which Mr.. Bardo
declined to do.
Senator Robinson then forced an ad-
mission from Mr.. Wilder that he con-
Sidered it wrong for the shipbuilding
council to employ an agent at the
Geneva conference secretly and sought
to force Mr.. Wilder to admit that 1t was
as equally wrong to accept such en-
ployment. Mr.. Wilder said that the
reverse proposition had not occurred to
him until put to him by Senator Robin
son. The Senator sought to draw from
Mr.. Wilder how he came to employ Mr..
Shearer for the TranSoceanic after
he had learned Of his improperly ac-
cepting employment for the shipbuild-
ing interest at the Geneva conference.
Mr.. Wilder emphasized that Mr..
Shearer had been employed by the
Transoceanic. of which Mr.. Wilder was
the only executive officer, with the pri-
/ mary and principal work of painting
pictures Of the proposed four-day liner
to impress the Shipping Board. He
emphasized repeatedly that Mr.. Shearer
had done excellent work as a painter
and had been valuable to him as an
adviser on account of his general
knowledge of shipping matters. 7
In reply to questions by Senator
Shortridse, Mr.. Wilder said that in re-
ply to a Senate resolution the Shipping
Board on April 20 had reported I'M
favorably on the Transoceanic proposal
with two major objections. The Ship
ping Board had other plans of its own
for which 1t desired an Appropriation
and the board was not entirely salts
fed with the designs OF the proposed
ship. But the Transoceanic had con-
, tinued with its work, hoping to win over
the Shipping Board later and he feels
that more favorable consideration has
since been entertained.
Consulted with Legislators.
Mr.. Wilder told the committee that
he had personally consulted with the
chairmen and other members OF both
Senate and House committees who had
| sought information from him because
there was very little photography on
merchant marine subjects. The lsgis-
lation finally enacted in the Jones'
White bill was exactly what he and his
associates had hoped for.
He explained that his corporation
still hopes to build ships that will cross
the ocean in four days when they get
adequate financing which will amount
to about $50 100000. He pointed out
that Germany has built two such ships,
England Is building two, France has
built one and Italy is building one.
I'VE know that we are sound tech
nically," said Mr.. Wilder, that Is that
a boat could make the trip In four days,
based on what We have done with the
Saratoga. The question was, were we
right economically-thati is. would the
service pay?" He explained what thev
sought from the Government was mail
contracts and to borrow under the
shipping act IS per cent OF the first
cost. He read into the record the pro-
posal made to the Shipping Board.
In reply to questions, Mr.. Wilder said
he had never met Mr.. Shearer until
January II, 1928. that previously Mr..
Bardo had told him that the council of
shipbuilders was sending an agent to
the Geneva conference, but his COM
pany was not a member of the council
and said Mr.. Bardo had not informed
him regarding the purpose of sending
this agent
He admitted that it was Mr.. Bardo
who introduced him to Mr.. Shearer
after he himself had asked to meet him
when he had heard that Mr.. Bardo
knew a man who was well informed
on shipping matters. He admitted
that he had employed Mr.. Shearer
after Mr.. Bardo had advised him to
have nothing to do with Shearer, be-
cause he himself had quarreled with
him and had found him to be q man
who could not be depended upon. Mr..
Wilder said that he has asked Mr..
Shearer for his record and had had
that record checked up by Icy Lee, who
the record was correct and that Mr.
Shearer could be depended upon for
loyalty.
He said that he was satisfied with
Mr.. sheArer's record, nationality, and
loyalty" explaining that his grand
father had fought In the Revolution
and that he was citizen of the United
States.
In answer to Senator Robinson, he
said that he believed open employment
of Shearer by the shipbuilders would
have been all right. but that secret
employment was not all right, as he
felt such policy was detrimental to
the industry as a whole He said that
he could not pass on whether 1t was
wrong for Shearer to accept secret en-
what representation had been made to
him when he was engaged as agent
of the shipbuilders council to the
Geneva conference.