Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-08-24
BREAKING THE SHIPPING TRUST
ISioux City Tribune.J

[Sioux City TribuneI
In supreme effort to prevent the
passage of the emergency bill admitting
to American registry foreign built
ships, Henry Hand, vice president and
general manager of the Cramps ShiI
Building Company. of Philadelphia, an
nounced II the bill We're passed, his
company, the largest in this country
would move its ship yards to Canada
because it couldn't meet competition
and stay in this country.
Cramps Ship Building Company
thru the Drexel Morgan bank, OF
Philadelphia, Is owned and controlled
by the ]. p. Morgan banking interests
also head of the International Mercan
tile Marine Company. which is the Of
fetal name of the shipping trust which
has been trying to get a subsidy for
years. This banking house also con-
trolls the rest of the ship yards Of con-
sequence on the Atlantic.
Its connection with the railroad
world Is well known. 1t is a matter OF
record, made in an interstate commerce
commission report, that the railroads
own and control the companies that
engage in American coastwise COM
merce. Any boats needed by these com /.
panies are made in the ship yards Of
Cramps or similarly owned companies.
1t was brought out during the
money trust investigation that these
yards refused to build boats for an in
dependent navigation company which
intended to engage In coastwise COM
merce in actual competition to the
shipping trust and the allied railroads.
This is how our merchant marine
has been throttled and our coastwise
commerce kept an adjunct to the rail-
roads instead OF affording real compe-
tition in water" rates Now that this
trust is about to be broken, the head
and front threatens to move to Cam
ada in order to avoid ruinous compe-
tition.
Ruinous competition with what?
Won't it be in competition with foreign
ship yards quite as much in Canada as
it will be in the United States?
Cramps moving to Canada won't OBJ
literate ship yards of other countries.
What is the answer?
Again enter protected monopolies!
Having a monopoly of the ship build
ing business and having all foreign
built ships barred and being hand in
glove and interlocked with other big
business, the shipping trust stood by
and permitted it's other big business
friends to put a high tariff on all raw
material that goes into ship building
steel, iron. cordage and lumber. That
made it all the harder for any ambi-
tious little fellow to attempt to break
the ship building monopoly.
Now, with foreign built ships about
to enter our commerce. Cramps. ct al,
say they will move to Canada in order
to meet competition. In other words,
to order to get cheaper steel, lumber
and cordage. Thus is the special priv
ilege and special legislation which the
ship building trust forced on the coun-
try in order to guarantee it's monopoly
and clinch it's hold upon shipping,
proving it's own ruin. 1t is being pun
shed by its own invention.
However it should not despair. The
remedy is not in moving to Canada,
even if it takes it's own threat serious
ly. The remedy is in knocking a few
more bricks Off the Chinese wall that
special privilege has erected around
this nation. and give American ship
builders materials as cheaply as for
eign ship builders. That's what will
bring business to American ship yards.
Give them chance to compete with
the world.