The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-02-20
MERCHANT MARINE |
A CHARITY AFFAIR
Uncle Sam Must Be the PhiIan-
thropist Says important
@ ,- commlttee bs,.

VhCu'uy must pay Is the SUD
head under which the merchant marine
committee of the national foreign trade
council sums up its remarks on the
American merchant marine for the ben.
eft of the councils fourth national
convention. The committee has pub
lished a pamphlet on its researches
which contains a great many penerali-
nations but not rs many essential facts
as II might, although tho sroport MO-
such that il was boound to have great
effect on the foreign trade interests In
the United States.
The report concludes in effect that
the taxpayers must stand the difference
OF the cost of operation between for.
eign and American ships fact which
Is usually recognized. The conception,
seems to be that the taxpayers will
have to stand all the difference. In.
cluding the poor business methods OF
the American ship owners.
One Of the signers of the report Il,
Robert Dollar, the ship magnate, whose
action at the time the Seaman,s Act
was passed Appropriated the Pacif,
Mail 3, and who runs British ships il
preference to American ones. The
other signers were James A. Farrell
and p. A. s. Franklin.
The most lucid part of the report
about the American marine is as fol
lows: w
Somebody Must Pay NJ.
Either by leasing of the government,
owned vessel TO private enterprise Of
by government operation, the shipping
act embarks the United States in an
industry normally costing more TO con
duct in the United States than unde,
foreign flags. Under normal condition,
OF peace, it can scarcely be expected
that private companies win undertak,
the operation of government ships IN
less the rate of lease or charter /,
sufficiently lower than the market 1,
Offset higher American operating cost.
Somebody must pay the difference and
under the proposed policy it will be
the taxpayer, just as surely and com.
pletely as under a subsidy policy. If
then, government aid is extended only
through leasing of government owned
vessels, the American flag in foreign
trade may become a government mo-
nopoly except for such exporting en-.
terprises as desire, as a matter, Of pol.
icy and protection, to own and operate,
vessels for the carriage Of their own
goods. .. =
1t is not generally realized that the
authorization for a $50, 900 900 bond is
sue to give effect TO the shipping act
is the most unrestricted appropriation
ever made by congress, for no regula
lions are laid down. A public buildin,
bill always specifies the location. ant
limit of cost of post offices and custom
houses. A river and harbor bill does
the same for engineering works. Blu
the Shipping Board is in power t.
build, buy or lease vessels and to leas
or sell them and with the funds de
rived IL may build, buy and lease NOR.
and again lease or sell them. The wa,
is open for the government TO assis|
private enterprise by chartering YES
sells to individuals or companies at les
than the market rates, but distinc,
danger turks in the possibility of poll
teal influence being exerted to deter
mine the recipients of such aid. Tn,
shipping board will require d maximum
of Independence and vision to resis
such influence, for IL is unlikely thai
the public will ever consent to sufi
cient appropriations for the govern
ment construction or purchase Of tho
six to ten million tons necessary I,
render American commerce reasonably
independent Of foreign transportation
After the War -,
The government control of European
shipping during the war has led ;,
some projects for a similar control dur
ing the reconstruction period and per
manently thereafter, and this has Gre
ated a rather academic apprehension
that European merchant fleets may not
with the return of peace, be again s,
thoroughly at the service of American
commerce as before the war, but that
by some cooperative policy the variou
belligerents will use their shipping ONLY
for the encouragement of their owl
commerce. This overlooks two import
ant facts: First, that importation
from, and exports to, the United Statet
will be the most important element OF
European commerce and second, that
when ships now impressed in govern.
ment service and immobolized are re.
leased, there will probably be more
ships than freight and unrestricted
competition will serve the national in.
terest Of all countries better than Euro.
pean government control! ....