The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-10-14
tBy Associated Press.)


of new administration shipping
bill to provide the United States with
naval auXiliaries in war time and to
be used in upbuilding foreign trade
in times of peace. were made public
last night by Secretary McAdoo in
speech to the business men of In
dianaEolis. The new plan, which
probably will be presented to Con-
gress at the coming session, proposes
appropriation of $5O,OOO,O0O to be
expended by a shipping board to con-
sist of the secretary of the navy. the
secretary of commerce, members ex
Offlcio, and three members to be Sc
lected by the president and confirmed
by the Senate.
The board would be empowered to
organize a corporation or corpora
tions and to subscribe to their cap
ital stock in whole or in part. 1t
would have authority to vote the
stock belonging to the United States
in the election of directors. The di-
rectors would choose the officers and
employees Of the corporation, and by
that means, Mr. McAdoo declared,
they would be removed from political
influences. The board would be au-
thoried to establish steamship lines
to countries where American trade
needs such accommodation 1t might
operate ships or lease them to other
parties 1t would have power also
to reform navigation rules and regu-
lations, study shipping problems and
make recommendations to Congress
for legislation to encourage and de-
velop a great merchant marine un-
der the American flag"
Further, Mr.. McAdoo suggested
that the shipping board should have
authority. acting in conjunction with
the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion, to arrange for through bills Of
lading by rail and steam lines to for
eikn ports and for special through
rates to foreign ports SO American
railroads and steamships might meet
foreign competition in the markets
of the world. He declared the time
had come for Congress to consider
rog,,vat;on 30 ,,,arcb a MT m rina com-
panies. He did not say that such
regulatory powers should be given to
the shipping board but argued that
the recent withdrawal from the
Oriental trade OF the ships of the Pa
cific Mail Co, which he criticised,
would have been prevented If Con-
gress had passed the ship bill at the
last session. The shipping board,
, in that case, he said, would have
bought the Pacific Mails ships and
kept them in the Oriental trade.
Secretary McAdoo laid particular
emphasis on the need of naval aux
iliaries in plans for preparedness, for
defense.
"The most indispensable factor in
any sensible plan of national de-
fense," he said. "is powerful navy
both Extensively and defensively-
supplied with essential naval auxil-
iaries in the form of an American
merchant marine and manned by
I American seamen who are ready and
willing to fight for the Stars and
Stripes against any enemy on the
face of the earth We cannot with
safety rely upon our ability to char
ter or purchase suitable naval aux
iliaries when a crisis appears The
very essence of preparedness for the
navy is to have these vessels of suit
able types and construction, where
we can put our hands on them quick
ly Our neglect to provide in the past
necessary naval auxiliaries gives us,
however. one great advantage BY
building them now we can develop
a type that will be better than any
thing the world has yet produced.
Our one and indispensable need is
ships; merchant ships of American
registry. We can get them by Great
ing the necessary naval auxiliaries