Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-19
WASHINGTON BOARD
FOR SHIP SUBSIDY
Votes Against Government
Ownership and Operation
or Private Operation.
NATIONAL CHAMBERS POLL
DIsCREDIT FOR MINORITY
Significance of Many Votes in Favor
of Federal Marine Discounted in
Analysis of Results.

The Chamber of Commerce of the
united States today made public the
maj detail results of the referendum
TO chambers of commerce. boards of
trade and other commercial bodies
composing its membership, on the sub
]ect of the merchant marine.
Interest was keenest on the first
question. which raised the issue of
government ownership and operation
OF merchant vessels. On this question
more votes were cast than on any
other of the nine propositions sub
fnitted TO referendum. Eighty eight
per cent of the votes cast were against
government ownership and government
operation.
The national chamber, however has
competed an analysis of the vote.
This will be interesting to Congress,
1t is believed. when that body recon-
Venes and is again presented with the
pfooiem OF passing on another ship
purchase bill, over which there was a
big fight at the last session. In the
larger cities, whether ocean ports or
inland centers and regardless of geo.
graphical situation, the local organiZa-
tons which participated in the refer
endum were almost unanimous in their
opposition to government ownership
and operation. This was the point of
view of organizations which in their
membership unquestionably represent
the industrial and commercial point of
view of big communities.
Vote of Board of Trade.
Votes were cast in the District of
Columbia by the Washington Board of
Trade and the National Association of
Piano Merchants. The six votes cast
by the Washington Board of Trade
on the first ballot were all against the
proposal for government ownership
and operation of merchant vessels and
against government ownership with
private operation of the vessels.
The Board of Trade voted for gov
eminent ship subsidies and for the
establishment of subventions by the
government to establish regular mail
and freight lines under the American
flag to countries in which the CONNER
cial interests of the government are
important and to American dependen-
cies. The Board of Trade also voted in
favor of the various proposals for the
development of an American merchant
marine.
The National Association of Piano
Merchants, which cast three votes, was
in favor of government ownership and
operation and against government own
ership but private operation. Its votes
were cast for ship subsidies by the
government and also for government
cast in favor of the proposals for the
I upbuilding of merchant marine.
| 1nsignifcance of Minority Votes.
No less than twenty-eight of the
eighty-nine votes cast in favor of gov
eminent ownership and operation, the
cha mber says, seem to carry no more sig
nificance of a preference than the vote
of the st. Louis Merchants Exchange
In other words. being accompanied by
| support of each of three other methods
for upbuilding the merchant marine
| suggested in the referendum as posi-
| BILE for government aid, these votes
| may be taken, the chamber says, tc
| have indicated an emphatic belief thai
! the American commercial marine should
| be augmented through encouragement
| by federal assistance quite regardless
of the means taken toward this end
! A statement by the chamber on the
subject is. in part, as follows:
Even by the comment made above
| the apparent lack of significance in thu
| eighty-nine votes which favored gov
| eminent ownership and operation is no
| fully developed; for, in all, seventy
| votes were accompanied by votes from
! the same organizations in favor o
| either subsidies or subventions. fifty
| one DelnS cast lot DOtH. nus, IL SEEM
+! that eighteen clear-cut votes were cas-
| for government ownership and govern
ment operation as the form which gov
| eminent action should take. OF thes'
! clear-cut votes, five came from ma
| tional organization, five from Florida
one from Mississippi. one from Mary
| land, one from Pennsylvania, three
from Massachusetts,. one from Mtchi
| gan and one from Utah
| Vote on Private Operation.
"Of the eighty-nine votes which sup
ported government ownership and oper
| alton, thirty-five were definitely cas-
| against private operation in conjunc
ton with government ownership Their
was single vote distinctly indicati
| a preference for the latter plan owe
| all others. In addition, there wer
| twelve votes which favored this plal
over government operation, but with
| out great significance. since votes o
the same organizations supported ais,
subsidies or subventions, or both
| THE remainder of the fifty-on yote
cast in favor of such a program as il
| here under discussion were likewis,
cast in favor of government ownership
and operation. The conclusion seem
private operation of government-owne,
! vessels indicate very general dissatis
! faction with such a method of attack
| ing the question in hand
| Concerning che third question OF
| which the members of the nationa
| chamber were asked to express thef,
| ODiniOn-the deSira bility Of suhsjdi a.