Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-08-12
The Ship Purchase Project.

In spite of the determination Of
close to him to launch the federal gov
eminent in the shipping business.
leading Democratic papers Of the
country agree with their Republican
contemporaries that such plan is the
height of folly. The Indianapolis
News says:
Mr. McAdoo, secretary of the treas
ury, is still strong for the ship pur-
chase plan, so vigorously pushed, and
so wisely dropped. at the late session
of congress. And Senator Williams Of
Mississippi, says that he is more than
ever of the opinion that the admins
tration ship purchase bill was a good
measure and is more necessary now
even than when it was introduced and
debated in congress" In the defeat
for that is what it amounted to-of
that measure. this nation made mar
row and most happy escape. One
does not like to think of the compli-
cations that would almost certainly
have resulted had this government
been launched in the carrying trade,
and been made the owner Of fleet OF
vessels bought of belligerents in time
of war. Only the other day a private
" owned vessel, the Dacia, was con-
demned in a French prize court on
the ground that her American registry
was not bona fide. The question
would almost certainly have been
raised in connection with every vessel
purchased and operated by this gov
eminent. And it would have been
much more difficult and delicate.
What if the Gulfiight and the Frye
had been government owned ships?
What if there had been a denial to
such ships of the right to trade to
neutral ports in noncontraband goods?
But the New York Times discusses
the subject from another point Of
view. 1t reminds us that. up to July
"a, $50 foreign ships Of over half
million tons have been transferred to
American registry. Here, without any
assistance from the government is a
very respectable addition to our sea-
going fleet. There has been an in
crease Of 6S per cent. in the value of
exports carried in American ships-or
from S146,696,000 to S246,616. 900. Our
shipyards are all busy. buster than
they have been for many years.
There is" says the Times. but one
report of buoyancy and hope in de-
cadent industry" The New York
paper says:
than with the conditions when the ship
purchase bill was rejected, and laid
away. unwept. unhonored, and unsung.
If the bill had passed and the same con-
ditions had followed there would have
been demonstration of the wisdom and
necessity of the bill The bill having
been rejected. and the conditions being
what they are, there is similar dem
onstration that the bill was not needed
and that its defeat was better stimulus
to shipping than its passage would have
been The profit to the government
would be to the loss of the government S
ent would be chilled with fear of the
unequal contest with ships capitalized
with tax money. and indifferent to loss.
1t is pointed out, further, that we
have such an export trade as we never
dreamed of. and that it would be
larger yet but for obstacles that have
nothing to do with lack of ships. Our
exports are being carried. There is
no trouble about ships. But there
would be under the proposed plan,
since its effect would be to drive out
of the industry more ships than 1t
could add to it," If we want more
ships we can get them without sub
sidy. and without putting the govern
ment in the business. All that is ne
cessary is to remove certain medieval
restrictions. and to modify radically,
II not repeal the La Toilette shipping
law.