The Washington times., 1919-03-29
Do You Want Some of the
Peoples Ships?
Step Up and Buy Them At Bargain

q y
of the United States during the war; and other ships to
built under contracts outstanding.
Whether not the President the Congress- and the people
viii accept Mr. Hureys plan for dsposng OF the snps tn'
people built and paid for, remains to be SEEN
This is what Mr. Hurley suggests:
Don't consider Government ownership or management
of ships
Sell the ships for what you get that is to say less
than it cost to build them to private individuals Let the
private individuals have years time in which to pay
the Government for the ships all except % per cent The
natural consequence being that the ships didn't pay hand
gom they could be turned back to the Government when
che private owners got sick of them.
Sell ships built at high prices for whatever the
prevailing price may be when you sell them That prevail
ing price to be ESTABLISHED BY ENGLAND that is to
Eay the United States should sell its ships for the price at
which ships built in England at the time OF SALE
Mr. Hurley distinctly makes the point that the Govern
ent NOT share in any profit that the private owners
may make out of the shipping business
The peoples money the tune of hundreds Of millions
Is In the ships They will be sold for what the Government
Ean get perhaps perhaps half OF what they
post, perhaps less
Those who heard the speech in which Mr. Hurley
mapped out his plan convinced Of his individual sin
Derty He honestly opposed to Government ownership
He thinks the Government would prove itself incompetent
Bxtravagant could not compete in ability with private
owners
The people of the United States ought to be seriously
interested in this suggestion concerning ships that the
people paid for
There are some questions you imagine the
small tax paying citizen asking:
When the Government chose Mr.. Hurley to head the
Bhpbuildng program did it choose competent able man?
Did choose the best available under the crcum
stances? Did it choose who did the thing
nOmicaIy and efficiently it COULD be done at that
time?
Mr. Hurley probably would answer yes
Then if the Government DID choose the right man to
do the building work needed in with utmost efficiency
under all the circumstances why couldn't the Government
The IN The
after the war?
In other words, if the Government was fit to BUILD
ships and pay the bills, why isn't the Government fit to
RUN ships?
Mr. Hurley and fifteen very prosperous gentle
in Wall Street owned sixteen million tons of shipping
paid for by them at high price would THEY suggest that
the shipping be sold to outsiders for half what it cost
and all the profits go those outsiders? They would NOT
MIR. Hurley says the Government is not equipped to
enter the shipping business and at the time says
that private individuals buying the ships would have to
establish ticket Offices freight agencies etc. in all the ports
Of the world
The Government has such agencies already IN ITS
CONSULAR AGENTS. It is paying rent all over the
world where the consus of the United States have their
Offices and it maintains clerical force exactly suited for
looking after shipping interests.
If private individuals run the ships economically
and proftaby although compelled to establish agencies
everywhere throughout the world why couldn't the Gov
enment do it. having its agents already established and
the people already on the payroll?
Mr. Hurley told his audience that the Government when
it finished contracts still unfinished would own sixteen
million tons of ocean going steel shipping about half the
total of shipping IN THE WHOLE WORLD.
First, if the Government proposes to sell ships
for less than cost to build them why does contemplate
finishing these contracts? Why does go building steel
ships at high price to be sold to private individuals at
low price and exploited by private individuals?
Second, this Government is to onehalf of all
the going shipping of the world is that Job that
requires the Government to look after it? Is not pre-
poserous to suggest that it should be left to individual
limited incomes, limited authorty-especiay in view of
the absolute incompetence that American spowners have
shown Of late?
Only the Government could have BUILT those ships
rapidly as they were built Nobody questioned the
Governments power there.