Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1915-04-23
A Fair Field and No Favor.

the CGlelIllllC AllCIlCdl VI lCOClls
date, takes its fling, in the inter-
est of the Shipping Trust. at the
63rd Congress and the efforts
made therein TO pass the Ship
ping bill.
1t says:
THE causes which render the
construction ard operation of the
American-built ships improbable
twofold. First, it costs more to
build a ship in our yards than it
does in foreign yards. and sec
ondly, because of certain burden-
some navigation laws, it costs a
great deal more to operate
them"
1t then proceeds to discuss the
first difficulty Tin the interest OF
the ship owner as against the
seaman, Of course) and then pro-
ceeds to the second of which it
again, writing in the interest OF
capital invested in ships emphas-
ICES the Money Devils indiffer-
ence tc the safety, health and
comfort of those who are toilers
of the deep-"they that go down
to the sea in ships, that do bust
ness in great waters,' the sea-
faring laborers without whose
courage, and fortitude, and long
suffering patient endurance the
proud ravies and magnificent
merchant marine of the present
day would soon become rotting
hulks and junk of little or no
value.
1t closes the discussion with the
following bold assertions:
"The principal burden under
which our mercantile marine la
Dor, however, is the much great
err cost of operation. This is due
to certain Anticipated and very
burdensome laws with respect &c
the employment of seamen, their
Accommodations, food, and the va
rious regulations governing their
employment. AS long as this
burden exists, our merchant ma
rine will be heavily handicapped
in competition with the deep-ses
shipping of the world. If Con
gross, instead of wasting its time
in trying to pass laws which like
the defunct Shipping Bill are op'
posed to the most elementary
economic principles, would set it
self seriously to consider a revis
ion of our navigation laws an(
the removal of the burden under
which our deep-sea trade is car
ried on, we believe that private
capital would be encouraged t.
enter generously upon the task O
building up a great merchan
marine. Before many years w
should be in a position to carr!
our own goods in our own bot
toms and retain the $500, 600, 00'
annually which is now paid tt
foreign shipowners.
Legislation of this characte.
would be well directed. 1t woul(
receive the endorsement not onl'
of the shipping interests but o
the vast majority Of the people
of the country. There is not
practical shipping man in tn
| United States today who doe
not believe that, if thereby Con
gress gave our merchant marine
an opportunity to demonstrate
what it could do in a fair ielt
with no favor, it would ultimate
. ly regain the proud position
= which it held in the middle de
cades of the last century"
/, The close observer reading be
tween the lines of the above vii
: find small difficulty in discovering
that the sympathies Of the Scien
tifc American are all with tn
Ship trust, or those who own an
operate the ships, and not at a
: with the toilers aboard ship who's
brain and Drawn cause the wheel
to go around and keep the ma
chinery in motion. 1t wants tn
expenses of running ships Gu
! down without an increase Of com
petition between ships or an
diminution of rates.