Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-04-19
MARITIME BOARD
NAMES OFFICIALS
Organization Being Com.
pIeted civil Service Ger.
LITIGATION Delay Asked.

Holding its first meeting today, the
new Maritime Commission announced
appointment Of = general counsel and
six assistants to commission members
and requested that the Civil Service
Commission grant a delay In the date
for certincation Of 923 commission en-
ployes.
The new general counsel Is Max
O'Ren Truitt, former special counsel
for the Reconstruction Finance Corp.
in railroad reorganization matters.
Truitt, native OF Missouri and
member Of St. Louis law firm, has
been identified with = number Of i'm
portant corporation reorganizations,
including that Of the Mid West Utili-
ties Corp. of Chicago, one Of the insult
utilities. He represented the r. F. c.
in many notable law suits, among
them the suit against the stockholders
OF the defunct Dawes Bank, in which
the court held that the r. F. c. was
entitled to recover in excess Of $l4,-
100000 Truitt is married and has
three sons. His salary ~ general coun-
sci was announced as $4,000 year.
Judge John Burns, former general
counsel to the Securities Exchange
Commission, has been designated 4
special counsel to the new Maritime
Commission.
Assistants Are Named.
Other appointments announced TO-
day were those OF John Carson, former
secretary to Senator Couzens Of Michi-
gan, secretary to the commission;
Joseph Sheehan, assistant to Chairman
Joseph P. Kennedy; Tehair Knight,
assistant to Commissioner H. A. Wiley;
L. U. Steaver. assistant to Commits
sioner Edward c. Moran, IT,; and H.
A. Blumquist, assistant to Commits
sioner Thomas M. Woodward.
Chairman Kennedy said the Civil
Service Commission has been asked to
grant delay in the certification OF all
Maritime Commission employees BE-
cause 1t has been physically impossible
for the new commission to determine
the qualifications Of the personnel.
Kennedy explained that under the
present law the Maritime Commission
| will be required to certify with the
Civil Service Commission those en-
ployes considered qualified for reten-
ton by not later than April IS.
| obviously" Kennedy explained,
III We make q blanket certification
OF these 923 people there Is the dan
ger that we may get . number of en-
ployes who are inefficient and un-
qualified and 1t then will be too late
to do anything about building up an
efncient personnel. On the othe,
hand. II We simply refuse to certify
any OF these employees because We dc
not know whether they are qualified
We would be doing q grave iniusttce
TO hundreds who are capable"
Expects Ruling Soon.
Kennedy said he expected = rultns
from the Civil Service Commission
within . day or two.
I think the delay will be granted. n
Kennedy said, and this Will give U
time to 80 ahead With our oresntn.
ton and determine Just where y,
stand"
The commission will meet tomorrow
with representatives Of the United
States Lines to discuss the PROPOSED
construction of new merchant ships
especially a replacement for th<
s. s. Leviathan. Among the urgen,
problems also to be considered by thu
new commission are pending ocear
mail contracts, Kennedy said.
The new chairman promised mem.
bers Of the press at his first press con
ference today that there will be mi
secrets" in the management Of tn.
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