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Show SHIPPING BOARD CUIMPI Chaotic State of Finances Revealed Re-vealed m Testimony Be fore Committee NEW YORK. Nbt. 18. -Of a total of $208,243,795 in United States ship pine board claims against the army, only $30,000,000 had been collected on account up to last September, Martin J Gillen, special assistant to John Barton Payne, former chairman of th shipping board, testified before the congressional committee investigating board affairs here today. Ilrigadb r General Frank T Mines of Utah, former director of transportation for the army, seemed to take "special delight" in blocking efforts to collect skipping board money from the war department, Mr Olllen said. Mr Uillen declared that there was "very little trouble with the na j WOODEN SHIP FIASCO. Mr Qlflen testified that the claim ligation was "a very bad condition." ind th.it claims were not charted or analysed as to their nature. They totalled to-talled "into billions of dollars," he said. Referring to the wooden ships construction con-struction program of the board, Mr. Gillen testified that these contractors were Induced to accept business on assurances as-surances that there would be three ships biiilt a year on e;trh ways These asauranceB, which Mr Gillen declare 1 wcro given by Edward N Hurley, former for-mer chairman of the board, did not materialize, and contractors for wood en ships lost money, Mr (Jlllen said. CLAIM HELD UP. A shipping board i.ettlement for $9, 000.000 on a food administration claim of $16,500,000 againjt the board was held up by the comptroller of tho treasury on the grounds that the board had no right to make such a settlement. settle-ment. Rear Admiral William S Benson, now head of the shipping board. Mr. Gillen characterized as "the strongest, cleanest character" he had ever met on |