Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-01-02
LOBBY SAID To
Be WORKING FOR
SHIP PURCHASE
Opponents Of Administration
Measure Declare Interests
Are Back Of Movement for
Government Owned Vessels,

ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE TO MORNING JOURNAL
Washington, Jan. lis there Q
lobby in activity favoring the shiI
purchase bill?
This Is one of the things the senate
lobby committee may be called upor
To investigate before II gets through
with the session.
The administration is strongly II
favor of il. although it is in direct col
lision with economy. II Is proposed
TO put $30.O00,000 into buying ships
for the South American trade. Thu
the president has declared over ant
over again was not TO be understood a,
move to compete with private CAPT
tall but 10 take up new lines which
private capital would not touch.
In other words. the United States
is to develop shipping lines that do no
now pay. II is to lose money to ge
trade started. This is one form o,
subsidy, form not unlike the grant
ing of bonuses to men TO build rail
roads. The difference, in the opinion
Of the president. however, is radical
The United States would own the ships
and sail them.
Opponents Doubt Limitation.
The opponents of the bill declare
that the purpose of the administra
ton cannot be so limited They insis
that If the country goes into the ship
ping business il would be a fool Il
confine its efforts to on-payini
routes when there were paying route!
in existence. They do not expect t,
see such Limitation. They look for
ward rather to an era of government
ownership on the seas and they think
in the interest OF the American PEG
pies treasury, that the movemen
ought to be stopped now.
They are without special informa
ton yet but they are seeking earnestl!
to discover just who is back of this bill
and whether there is not well
worked out plan to unload ships OF
the government. ships now owned il
the neighborhood of New York which
could be gotten rid of at a fine fig
ure.
See Promise in Present Rates.
They are prepared to demonstrate
that if there is a present dearth OF
ships for the foreign trade govern
ment competition would simply faster
il upon the people by removing every
incentive of private capital to engage
in the business. The present high
ocean freights, they claim, would be
an incentive to produce ships faster
than the government could build OF
acquire them if it were known that
the government would keep out of the
business.
One of the presidents visitors was
Bernard Baker of Baltimore, who
came to talk again on the ship pur-
chase bill. He is against it on the
ground that it will not do what the
president hopes for it. and because he
has another plan to do the thing the
president has at heart.
Baker Prefers Private Capital.
Who is Bernard Baker that he
should take the presidents time and
attention and oppose a plan of the
administration? He is considered to
be about the best posted American on
shipping matters He was the origi-
nator and first president of the
Mime" line which ran the Mime
ka, Minneapolis, Minnehaha and 9th
er boats beginning with NJ He sold il
out to the Morgan interests. He Is
also the man who brought up the
plan Of taking over the Hamburg
American line and making it an
American line of steamships, and who
is working on plan for q coast to
coast service through the canal.
Mr. Baker is deeply interested in
conservation and the problem of the
rehabilitation of the American mer-
chant marine. but he does not want to
see the United States go into the ship
ping business for the reason that 1t
would keep private capital out. No
body would put his own money into
steamships facing the fact that ms
government was a competitor AS ne
views it, nobody ever could tell where
the congress would stop. 1t might
start with 100000 900, but millions
are nothing to q congress. 1t might
put in $500 100000 and where would
private capital find itself, competing
with conditions thus produced?
Wants American Marine.
At the same time Mr.. Baker Is
strongly in favor of putting the Amer
lean flag on the high seas and has an
alternative plan for doing II. he
takes no stock in the idea that the
plea for a merchant marine is stimu-
lated and that the country does not
need to distress itself about the mer-
chant marine SO long as there are
countries able and willing to carry our
goods cheaper than we could do 1t
ourselves.
We need a marine for several sub
stantial reasons.
The first is that foreign countries,
while they may be willing, are not al
ways able to carry out goods, as, Tor
example, this year, with a war going
on in Europe. But even in time OF
peace we need a merchant marine 70
insure us against discrimination. In
his Judgment there is no doubt tnat
the United States frequently gets the
worst of service where the trade IS
strongly competitive.
Points out Discrimination.
where for example?' was asked.
There is no doubt the Hamburg
American and the Royal Mail give
preferential to the mother countries.
Their mail contracts call for certain
service which they are only too glad
to give We don't get IT because we
have no specifications which call Tor
it."
could it happen that British
steamship line would give better ser
vice to comparatively small country
like Canada than to the United
States?"
Insurance Fayors Foreign Lines.
1T is possible and it is a fact that
the Quebec Steamship company
maintaining a service betweep ports
of Canada and ports of the United
States with the West Indies gives the
better service to Canada.
Then there is the matter OF lnsur-
ance. 1t is not clearly understood
but the fact is that most of the ma
rine insurance is written by German
and British companies. They man
ace TO give preferential rates to their