Semi-weekly herald., 1915-02-08

given to assist in its resuscitetion is
full Of complexities, there is one
fundamental fact in the situation
which is clearly understood by the
shipping men. by the private citizen,
and even by congress itself
We refer to the fact that, because
Of the better food, better accommo
dations, higher pay, and other advan-
| tages conferred upon the American
seamen by the naviation laws of the
United States, the cost of running an
American ocean-going steamship is so
much greater than the cost of run
ming a ship under foreign flag,
that successful competition in the
deep-sea trade is an absolute impos-
sibility.
Time was, moreover, when it cost
very much more to build ship in
American yards than it did in for.
eign yards; but the margin of that
difference has been gradually reduc-
ed, until now it is comparatively
negligible in comparison with the vast
difference in the cost of the operation
of ships.
Everybody knows that we have fail
ed to build up modern merchant
marine, and everybody knows just
why we have failed. Today the gov
rnment, with the strong backing OF
the president, recognizing the failure
I-of private enterprise, wishes to 20
into the shipping business itself and
fly its flag over a fleet of govern
ment-owned ships, hoping thereby to
build up an American merchant ma
rine, and promising, when the new
venture is fully established, to with
draw in favor of private operation
and ownership.
We wish to put ourselves on rec
ord as stating, first, that the whole
scheme bristles with fallacies; sec
ondly, that the latest trade returns
show that government-own fleet
is unnecessary; thirdly, that it will
work injustice to the private owners
of ocean-going ships; and last, and
most important of all, that this ship
ping bill may well prove to be snare
which will sooner or later entangle
us in the great European war.
In the first place, the government
is violating one of the fundamental
| if unwritten, principles upon which
government is based if it enters into
| a business enterprise in competition
with the private interests of its citi-
zens. Such action would be wrong in
any case, and it is particularly vici-
GUS when the interests against which
the government will compete are al
ready having the greatest difficulty
in keeping their heads above water
1t should be the policy of the govern.
ment to encourage our struggling
merchant marine, not to drive it from
the seven seas!
Furthermore, the plea Of the presi
dent that the war has so disorganizec
the carrying trade that there are moi
enough ships to handle our import.
and exports, has been completely de
molished by the recent trade returns
which show an increase of export.
for December, 1914, over those of De
cember, 1913, Of over S13,000,000. A.
we said at the outset, facts are wha,
we should keep our eyes upon, moi
theories. And if ever cold, hard fact.
demolished plausible theory, these
trade returns for December hav,
swept away the one plausible plea
that has been made for this ill-eon,
ceived government-ownersh scheme
Be it remembered, also, that in the
very nature of things an enterprise
which private capital and the best
brains of the country have failed to
make profitable can never be run at a
profit if handled by the government
Our humanitarian navigation laws
render it certain that government
owned fleets will be run at a loss.
That loss must be made good from
the treasury, and to this extent the
! proposed government-owned fleet will
become tax upon the people-a
manifest injustice.
The last and, surely, the most i'm
portant objection of all against this
fatuous bill is the grave and ever
present danger which it will introduce
IN the international situation. The
right of search on the high sea ex-
( lists and is recognized; contraband of
war is liable to find its way into the
bottoms Of ships, whatever flag they
iiy; and a situation is conceivable in
which the right of search might be
exercised on a ship that was sailing
under the government flap