The Holt County sentinel. (Oregon, Mo.) 1883-1980, 1915-03-05
The Ship Purchase Bill
Shall the federal government I,

| ' nited states senate.
Friends " the AdminstratiDn'sS hir
PufchsSebil urse 1t : immediate pass.
age because a freight tonnage Of
), sDn.nO las been withdrawn from w.
ocean IN six months because thousands
Of carloads VI American products
await shipment and because private
capital viii not act viii. admitting
much Of tie need, opponents Of the
the measure assert that 1t l. both
dangerous and inei,icacious.
Summarized, the bill provides that
the proceeds OF bond issue OF
30 600 eco are TO be used for purchas.
ing or building merchantmen for the
government. A government shipping
board Is to he created which In turn
shall create a government corpora.
tion which shall operate merchant YES.
sells I'm the trade between the At.
lAntic Gulf or Pacific ports OF the
United states and the ports Of Cent.
raj and South America and elsew here
TO meet the requirements Of the for.
eign commerce Of the United States
Tie United States government Is TO
hold the majority Of this corpora.
tons stock. The president may lease
charter or transfer to this corporal.
lon such naval aulilaries or war de.
pzrtment vessels a. are suitable for
commercial use and are not required
for naval use In time " peace. Tie
vessels to be acquired by the govern.
ment shall he A. far a. possible suit.
able for Use a. nasal auxiliaries. II il
also provided that all vessels acquired
under the act I've subject 10 the rules,
regulations and liabilities governing
merchant vessels under ~. principles
ofinternational laH In Ike manner and
To the same extent A. merchant y.s,.
els IN private Nv netShlp under Amer.
lean registry.
! II il further provided that all Amer.
lean ships of government ~ priya,.
ownership shall hay. their cargoe> .x.
amined IN an American port In time
Of var TO prevent tie carrying Of
cont raband.
An important element In the sit.
uatlon, according 10 IA. majority ~.
port of the senat. committee on com.
merc., IL tie control " American
ocean transp Iratation. This control
does no, no" exist. Foreign owners
determine tie time. plac. aud Guar.
acter ~ service, ~. rates and routes
To bs followed and discriminate
against IA. American shipper.
! Friends Of tie bill diSclslm any de.
sire to create a government monopoly
In the shipping business, Or that tie
government shall remain permanently
Interested In shipping. Wherever pri.
vat. interests viii al reasonable rates
and With proper facilil les serve Amefi
can commerce tie gov. nment viii he
more than content to have them do
50.
Opponents u the bill argue that
II l, dangerous one because II pro
poses To embark tile government at
|
ure In which private enterprise has
uniformly met With loss and at time
when the rights OF neutrals and bel.
ligerents are ON delicate and critical
starts the government In a business
far more extreme than would the own.
ershlp Of railroads or telegraph and
telephones and that II would lie .
complete reversal Of the policy Of the
United States by raising money by
taxation to carry on . business In
which individual enterprise has failed.
Another argument set forth Is that
It would be impossible to build SUM.
Client ships to produce any immediate
effect and that foreign tonnage now
interned Is the result OF war would
have to be purchased and that this
would lead 10 serious internatinal
complications.
From the beginning every step In
progress has met with desperate 70.
sistence. Those who have . special
privilege out OF which they obtain
gain always oppose everythin. that
even remotely threatens their profit.
Though the promoters OF the
shipping bill give every assurance
that there Is no purpose to 20 into
competition with legitimate American
shipping, and that whenever private
interests will give the service which
the government proposes TO render,
the government will 20 out Of bust.
ness, every private concern and every
agent and congressional Represent.
alive Of every private concern Is fight.
Ing the bill.
Meanwhile ocean rates are twoto ten
times the normal. We are unable to
seize the great opportunity for de