The farmer and mechanic., 1914-09-29
the necessary number Of ships "a sup

the Senator from Massa chusetts MIR
WeekS) said did happen IN connection
with our emergency purchases 10 sup
ply the needs of our government in
the Spanish American war when va
lost S12.00O.0O0 by the transaction
Suppose the same situation discloS.~
itself with reference TO the govern
ment purchase of ships for this emer-
gency. Suppose she has tc invest 4
hundred million dollars to do it, and
suppose. when the emergency passes
and she dispoSes of these ships. there
is Saddied upon US net loss of s.
coo. zoo. Mr.. President. what is So
100000 spent by the government
which means spent by the people for
the government is nothing but The
people-to protect the farmers and
the merchants and the manufacturers
of this country from state of bank
ruptcy! This sum, great as il would
be, would be a mere bagatelle COM
pared with the alternative loss"
Revive Merchant Marine.
Il believe as firmly as ] have ever
believed anything in my life that 4
this bill shall pass it will be the en-
tering wedge to a revival Of the mer-
chant marine of this country, and
that with such help as we will be able
TO get from other directions, il Will
largely supply the demand for trans
portation in the present emergency.
Senators say there will be no ships
brought under the American flag IL
this bill passes because they say that
since the passage of the Panama
Canal act, allowing American regis
try to ships under FIVE years old, not
a single ship has been bought and
registered under that act. Mr.. Presi-
dent why have no ships been bought
and registered under that act? BE
cause in the conditions which existed
80. rto 81 ha
sage Of that act there was practically
no chance for a vessel not in the com
bine. There was never more mer-
cileSs or far-reaching or cOmprehen-
sive trust or combination upon the
face Of the earth than the Shipping
Trust. which has for years controlled
or dominated ocean transportation
trust that maintains a fighting feet
to destroy by underwriting in prices
every independent vessel that may
essay to engage in foreign trade.
I'm those conditions, of course. no
| ships were bought under that act, but
| those conditions do not exist now. The
ships owned by the trust tied up.
| and as long as this emergency exists
probably a large part of them Will
| continue tied up-enough to break the
hold of the monopoly. II some or
| them are released and enter into the
trade again, they will be SO inadequate
| 10 Ino OeIndnOS VI lIduSpOI tdtlcI tf1ft
| there will be an opportunity for an in
dependent ship to live until it can get
a firm fOothold | believe we Will
| find, as soon as this bill is passed, that
| ships will be bought. and they will he
brought under American registry.
| How Manufacturers Affected.
Mr.. Simmons here effectively an-
| swered the argument that the pro-
! posed law would cause complications
| with foreign nations and concluded
| with the following paragraphs show
ing how enlarged shipping facilities
would help the manufacturers:
| Il have already spoken about the
| farmers, and ! will not repeat that,
Now take the situation of the manu-
| facturer II the war continues. |
| think the proba abilities are that the
cotton manufactures Of this country
will enormously expand, because We
| will have such an advantage in the
neutral markets Of the world over Eu-
| rope, from which they have hereto
fore gotten their supply. ] think that
the demand for many other manu1ac-
tured products Of this country will be
| enormously enhanced. because the
| doors of the neutral markets of the
world will be thrown open to us In a
way that they never have been thrown
open to us before.
When we went to South America
with our manufactured products. and
when we went to the Orient with our
manufactured products, we had to
meet there the competition of the
manufactured products Of Germany
and England and France and Bel
| gium, and in addition we were handl-
capped by the fact that these compe-
titors Of ours controlled our ocean
transportation. We had to go to them
for our transportation, and having To
go to them for our transportation, We
not only had to meet their Sha y
| competition but we had to meet II
under the disadvantages which a com
, petitor controlling your transporta-
tion will always. by some device OF
other, be able to put you under
The manufacturers of this cOun-
; try will, if we can get these ships. he
!, | relieved in a measure from this coin
, petition in the first instance, for d
, time at least. and until they can get
foothold in those markets. and they
U-l hn r~D11 L.,., "a