The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1919-05-16
WHAT OF OUR OWN MERCHANT
,~ MARINE?

Washington, April 28.-The Repub-
6can Publiciay Association, through
IT'S president, Hon. Jonathan Bourne,
Jr., today gave out the following
statement from its Washington head
quarters:
"The city of Philadelphia is congrat-
ulating itself on the fact that the
Cunard Steamship Company has in
augurated regular sailings between
that city and Antwerp. 1t is interpre-
ted by the local press as an indication
that Philadelphia is to acquire large
share in the expansion of transatlan-
tic passenger and freight traffic which
inevitably will follow the establish
ment of peace.
acknowledging that the business
of the Quaker City is likely to be stinn-
ulated by the new ship line, and grant
ING that the local citizens have right
to be gratified at the outlook, it is
situation that Americans generally
should view with complaisance? 1t is
not rather a cause for alarm that for
eipn merchant marine interests should
calmly invade our markets and help
themselves to our trade while our own
shipowners are compelled to sit su-
pinely by, helpless because of the fail
ure of the last Democratic Congress
to provide permanent shipping poll
CIV. and the persistent refusal of the
President to call the new Republican
Congress together and enable them to
put on the statute books the laws that
are so imperatively needed?
"Here is British line of steamers
carrying goods between an American
port and a Belgian port. Belgium, of
course, has no merchant marine fleet
with which to transport her porducts,
but American has the ships and the
men and money to operate them.
There is no adequate reason in the
world why American shipping should
not have a monopoly of the carrying
trade between this country and the
ports of Belgium, at least until Bel
GUM is able to put some vessels of
her own upon those routes. 1t is the
supreme stupidity of the party in
control of the last Congress in not
preparing for the inevitable problems
of reconstruction, coupled with the ar
rogant stubbornness of Mr.. Wilson in
not giving the Republicans an oppor-
tunity to rectify the mistakes of their
predecessors, that is responsible for
the steady loss of our opportunities
upon the sea.
"Under the Rosseter plan, already
adopted by the Shipping Board, and
which probably will form the basis of
the merchant marine legislation of the
Republicans, regular sailings can be
arranged between American ports and
such foreign ports as may hold out
promise of profitable trade in the fu-
ture. 1t is probable that a line of
steamers established now between
Philadelphia and Antwerp, whether
British or American, would not pay
at first. In the case of our own ship
owners that precludes the venture, as
the financial risk would be too great
for single individual or firm to as
sumo. The British line, on the other
uduu, eVcu IilOuSH IL OpcIdOSS az iiIoI
with loss, will be maintained, very
likely with aid direct from the govern
ment, until the trade has been built up
to a profitable standard.
precisely the same proposal is con-
tanned in the Rosseter policy. That
plan contemplates the Inauguration Of
new sailing routes, with dependable
schedules for steamers, whether the
initial voyages pay profit or not.
Losses are to be recompensed from
the profits that may accrue to the
Government by reason of small
share of stock retained by it in the
companies operating its ships, and also
from the interest on the unpaid pur-
chase price at which those ships are to
be sold. The ships of those countries
already working under such a plan
have tremendous advantage over our
own, and while our President is per-
hitting the golden weeks to slip by
with Congress in idleness, we are COM
PEELED to witness the loss of trade that
should be ours for the asking"