Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-12-22 | Page 26 | Hog Island

HOG ISLAND. Tho department of justice report on tho government's shipbuilding plant at Hog Island discloses tho fact trhat tho cost is in the neighborhood of $01,000,-000. $01,000,-000. Thn first estimate was $21,000,-000 $21,000,-000 and a revised estimate $7,000,000. The agents who conducted the inquiry report that 1 ' no oleur explanation of this discrepancy has been forthcoming. forthcom-ing. ' The American International corporation, cor-poration, which built tho plant, took the ground that, since it was a war job, cost was of minor importance and rushed the work regardless of expense. Nevertheless the investigators declare in their -port that "the facts do not justify cr'minal prnce.--, and that no fraud or secret profits have been established." estab-lished." Sonic months ago there were many wild str.rios afloat concerning the 1 ; construct ton of this great shipbuilding! plant, and thee were hints o' fraud ' a iid riotous ex! ra vamnce upuij the pait of the contracting corporation and many others connected with them. Simmered Sim-mered down, tbev-e stories were given publicity upon suspicion and without any facts to warrant thnm. The country was cnnir in war and the United States n:clc' ships to trans port men, munitions and foodstuffs over the Atlantic. The only wnv to get ships was to build them, and the government govern-ment set about the work as soon as possible. pos-sible. There were many vexatious delays, de-lays, chiefly owing to disputes among high officials. Finally all got together an 1 the production of merchant vessels began in earnest. The good work is still going on, and the United States is sure of a merchant marine second to none in the near future. The Hog Island project was a stupendous undertaking, since tho location consisted of a bog or swamp. Vast sums of money were expended ex-pended before the actual work of construction con-struction began. Wages and the cost of material continually ascended, but the contracting corporation kept things moving, while the Bhout went up that wo must have more ships or lose the war. No one would be foolish enough to suppose that the work could not have been done much more cheaply in time of peace when there was no particular hurry, and it may be that there was profiteering that has so far escaped notice. The chief interest the public will take in the whole matter is the fact that the United States now has one of the largest and best shipbuilding plants in the world, and will bo able to hold its own as a maritime nation for all time to come if the work of building merchantmen is continued, as it should be. The Hog Island plant cost a large amount of money, but bo did everything the government purchased during the war. Billions of dollars were spent and there was undoubtedly some petty thievery and some graft. But, after all is said and done, the investigations investiga-tions have not disclosed anything big, and we doubt if the department of justice jus-tice arid congressional post mortems do any great good. It is easy enough to claw the air and darkly hint that the peoplo aro being robbed, but it is not so easy to find, the alleged robbers when an inquiry is instituted and the probers get into action and attempt to follow blind trails. We suppose investigations investi-gations are necessary in order that would-be thieves receive warning and become afraid to pick Uncle Sam's pocket. Otherwise the most of them are dismal failures and very disappointing disap-pointing to those who have been led to believe that much rottenness exists and that it will be fully exposed.