The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-09-02

W VS|AfAA@@AE1 SNe@%p t~Fe t~ SN@@~N~N mystery is why the President man board to administer tkl
 The board has tough jobs to face. Toughest is cleaning up the existing ocean mail contract sys- tenn which Senator Blacks inves- tigating committee revealed to be loaded to the gunwales with scan- dalctls abuses. These sensational disclosures played an important role in forcing the enactment of the new law.
 Yet despite the urgent need of a house cleaning of the existing Shipping Board, the President has made no move to get the new agency under way. ,sa
 Two months have passed since Congress acted, but to all inc .quiries as to when he will ap- point the five CocN.nissioners the President has given an evasive answer. What makes his atti- tude extraordinary is that the law fixes october 1 as the dead- line on which the shipping lines must file their applications for new subsidies.
 With no board functioning to fix the basis of these new grants the ship operators are without formulas on which, to do their figuring.
 Old Fight t
 At the root of the protracted delay is the same bitter fight that held up the passage of the new law for six months.
 Backed by the Commerce De- pertinent the shipping lobby vio- lently opposed the act and tried to jam through instead a measure that would have given them a practically free hand with gov- ernment funds. This scheme was blocked chiefly through the efforts of Karl Crowley, solicitor of the Postoffice Department, Tom Woodward, former member of the Shipping Board, and Representa- tlVG GuWHku Os 1AO4aAAp SeAUPPy Maine New Dealer. These three men are leading con- tenders for places on the new board and the ship lobby is moy- ing heaven and earth trying to prevent their appointment.
 Prospective Candidates
 Its candidates are reported to be Colonel J.. M. ("Sailboat") Johnson, second assistant secre- tary of commerce, Paul Scharren- berg, conservative, Pacific coast sailors union official, and Mar win Mcintyre, appointment secre- etary to the President. Each of these men is under heavy fire.
 Johnson and Mcintyre are being attacked ns too friendly to shipping interests, and rnari- .. time unions in all parts of the country have bombarded the White House with hot protests against Scharrenberg.
 Because of this bitter cross- fire, insiders are predicting that in order to avoid antagoiiizing any of the various groups in volved the President will not name the board until after the November election.
 Monkey House
 Langdon Post, chief of the New York Housing Authority, was tell- ing a group of Washington of- ficlals about the construction of First Houses, Q New York slum clearance project that he super intended,
 "How did you answer the at- tacks of real estate interests that opposed the project?" he was asked. ,
 "Oh, that was easy" Langdon said. T just pointed out that New York had recently built one of the finest monkey houses In the country. then asked the realtors why, # we could do so much for monkeys, we could not also do something for hu- man beings.
 "There just wasn't any m. swcr to that - and they didn't try to make one" @E
 Brass Beds and Sunsets
 An internal row involving Un- dersecretary Rex Tugwells right hand assistant, 28.year Grace Fake, is agitating the Resettle- ment Administration.
 The ruckus is over beds, bed- spreads, tables and window cur tains. Ac
 The question is whether the tenants, who next winter will move into the new homes in the Beltsville project, near Washing ton, should Dc allowed to follow their own taste in household fur nishings.
 Officials in charge of the pro- feet ccntended that after Re- settlement had. built the houses they should step aside and leave interior decoration to the ten- ants. VI .+ Enters Miss Fake
 But Miss Fake thought other wise. The mental image of brass bedsteads in the new rooms and trite notices on the walls pained her deeply.
 She took the matter to Tugwell, and he sided with her. An executive order was issued direct- ing that the homes be completely furnished and decorated. Tenants