The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-03-28
MERCHANT
N A R me
QUESTION
Private Ownership With Lin
tied Federal Supervision
Of the Major
Utilities.
FEELING OUT COUNTRY
Shall Our Ships be Sold or Shall They
be Retained and Operated by
Government Off
cials?
FEELING OUT COUNTRY
rBy Robert J. Bender. United Press
Staff Cnrresnondent.

i[By Robert J. Bender. United Press
Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, March 28.-The
government has launched its 'feeler"
ito the country on the question OF the
private ownership, with limited Ieo-
eral supervision, of major UTILITIES.
| Chairman Hurley's recommends
tions in New York last night along
| this line as applied to the war porn
! merchant marine, were regarded mere
Itcday as move to sound out pubic
opinion. 1t may be stated that Hur-
lley's views are personal. however, not
1.-The announcement OF a Hxed govern
Iment policy.
| He believes the merchant marine.
built up by the government, should
! be turned over to private concerns at
prices determined by the world tom
mage market with part of the pay
ment deferred and with half OF the
ships earnings in excess OF SIX per
cent to go into a public fund.
Ship purchasers would give MOI L
gage for the unpaid balanca, the
mortgage to pay five percenr, one
percent of which would De turned pr
the government into a merchant
marine QeV6lOpueul luliu.
Governmental regulation would be
designed to prevent watered stock
and assure the use of vessels on
trade routes designed to promote the
welfare of the United States.
81 believe this is the answer to
the government ownership-private
ownership discussion" Hurley said
recently while discussing the plan.
81 believe it will appeal both to dem
ocrats and republicans. The time
has come when such question as this
must be decided from the viewpoint
of the greatest number. This plan re
bounds to the benefit of the Ameri-
can people, at the same time 1t
leaves it's developments to the initla-
tive and skill of American ship oper-
ators and still absolutely prevents
the watering of stocks
Despite some evidence that there
may be strong opposition in congress
to selling the merchant marine, Hur-
ley is planning to do ahead with his
work of preparing the vessels for
sale along the line he has suggested.
Experts are now at work in the
shipping board compiling data on
tonnage costs all over the world 30
determine what would be fair sale
price for the American vessels.
simultaneously other experts are ct
work developing the most advantage
GUS trade routes for the ships when
they are turned over to private c;'n-
cerns-
1.-THE idea,' Hurley said, "is to set
all Of these matters in completed
form so that when the project OF
turning the vessels over to priv ltc
concerns eliminates, we can put TIE
ships on thesways, as it We're, and
let them slide easily into the chan
nels of foreign trade"
In connection with Hurley's plan
strong sentiment has developed
both within and outside congress re-
Gently for handling the railroads as
private undertakings under moderate
federal supervision.
Hence the reaction of Hurley's
plans is expected to have an impor-
tant bearing upon the ultimate dis
position of the railroads and perhaps
even the wire communicating sys-
TENS of the country now being oper-
ated by the government.
Hurley's plan is not without its
opponents, however. Senator Fletch-
er, ranking democratic member of
the senate commerce committee, and
late chairman CT that committee, Is
opposed to selling the ships now, ex-
pressing the belief that they would
eventually get into the possession of
a few of the shipping interests which
are already waiting to take them
over"
Sioux Falls Argus-Leader: Every
MAN who drives over fho mic GRO hIo