SHIPPING: Dictatorship?

Four visitors called at the White House and went into conference with President Coolidge. One of them was Wesley L. Jones of Washington, Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee ; another was Duncan U. Fletcher of Florida, ranking Democrat of the same committee. The other two were members of the Merchant Marine Committee of the House. When the conference had concluded, Senator Jones announced that Rear Admiral Leigh C. Palmer, U. S. N., retired, had been chosen head of the Emergency Fleet Corporation.

If there was any surprise in this announcement, it was not that Admiral Palmer was selected, but ratner what post he was selected for. It was known (TIME, Jan. 7) that Edward P. Farley was about to retire as head of the Shipping Board because of Senatorial objections. It was understood that the President was looking for a successor to him. When Admiral Palmer had been at the White House three times to confer with Mr. Coolidge it began to be rumored that he was going to be Chairman of the Shipping Board.

The fact that he was chosen to be President of the Emergency Fleet Corporation was indicative of a new policy. When the Shipping Board was created, it was expected to take charge only of the major questions of policy, exercising only quasi-judicial and regulatory functions. Instead it usurped in large part the actual responsibilities of operating Government owned merchant ships—a function that was expected of the Emergency Fleet Corporation. This has come about partly through the fact that the posts of Chairman of the Shipping Board and of President of Emergency Fleet Corporation were held by one man, and to the fact that the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 transferred the powers of the Corporation to the Shipping Board which in turn was authorized to perform such of its duties as it deemed advisable through the Corporation. Now the actual business of operating Government ships is to be turned back to the Emergency Fleet Corporation under the control of one man. It is probable that legislation will be undertaken to carry out this policy in full.

The unified control is to be placed in the hands of Rear Admiral Palmer who, during the War, served as Chief of the Bureau of Navigation and later as Chief of Staff of a division of the Atlantic Battle Fleet. After the War he resigned. He was made Shipping Board Director for Brazil. Of late he has been attached to the Washington offices of the Board. On Jan. 5 he was to have sailed for London to represent the Board abroad. Instead he stays to be dictator over the Government's shipping policy as no Chairman of the Shipping Board has ever been— Denman of California, General George W. Goethals, Edward N. Hurley, John Barton Payne, Albert D. Lasker or Edward P. Farley.

Meanwhile, heads of private shipping companies have expressed their decided approval of what they regard as change for better and more businesslike operation of Government vessels.