Report on Shriners raises question of wrongdoing

An investigative committee established by the joint boards of the Shriners of North America fraternal organization and the Shriners Hospitals for Children brings to light problems with the national organization, which runs a network of 22 hospitals that provide free orthopedic and burn care to needy children. The report found that the chairman of the Shriners Hospitals Board of Trustees Ralph Semb sought to dismiss a fund-raising executive who had refused to hire a direct-mail company Semb and another board member tried to steer him to. Semb was re-elected chairman of the board of the hospitals in June at the annual Shrine convention in St. Louis.