AMERICAN NAVAL PROPAGANDA.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19731, 23 September 1929, Page 11

AMERICAN NAVAL PROPAGANDA.

THE SHEARER DEAL. COMPANY VICE-PRESIDENT BLAMED. (CKITED PRESS ISSOC»•»"-« *«««« TJE LBGaAPH —COPYRIGHT.) (Received September 22nd, 6.5 p.m.) WASHINGTON, September 21. The employment of William B. Shearer, the Naval Propagandist, by United States Shipbuilders, as "an observer at the Geneva Conference, was described as "most unwise" to-day, to the Senate Committee, by Mr Charles M. Schwab, chairman of the directors of the .Bethlehem Steel Corporation. He said that he knew nothing about the Shearer deal until many Months later. Asked who was responsible for the employment of Shearer by Ma pany, Mr Schwab hesitantly named Mr S. W. Wakeham, the vice-president. — Australian Press Association. BIG PAYMENT TO MR , SHEARER. UNAUTHORISED TO ENTER CRUISER CONTROVERSY. WASHINGTON. September 20. Giving evidence before the Senate Committee investigating the activities of the shipbuilding firms at th® 1037 Geneva Naval Conference, Mr Clinton L. Barbo,' president of the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, said that American shipbuilders had spent 143,000 dollars in seeking the passing of the Jones-White Merchant Marine Act of 1928. Mr Barbo stated that Mr Shearer was paid about 46,750 dollars in all by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, the Newport News Shipbuilding Corporation, and the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation. He stated that Mr Shearer had not been authorised to get into the cruiser fight at Geneva. He asserted that the shipbuilding companies now employ Mr Frank Lord aa a representative at Washington to keep them informed, run errands, and get facts not carried by the Press, but he insisted that Mr Lord had no authority to interfere with the legislation tralian Prcas Association.