The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-02-26
Sen. RansdeIl Warns Con-
gress of a Dangerous
Situation
SHIPPING BOARD
CAN SELL EVERY SHIP
Can Act Without Consulting Congress
In Disposing of S2,5Oo,oo0,oO0
Worth of Ships-Will Soon Be With
out Power TO Operate Them.

IN DlsposlnS OF SZ,5OO,OOO,O0O
Worth of ships-Will Soon Be With
out Power to Operate Them.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.-six months
after the treaty of peace between this
country and Germany is proclaimed the
authority granted to the President UNI
der the shipping act will cease, and the
shipping board and emergency fleet cor
poration will automatically 90 out of
existence
With these facts in mind, Senator
Ransdell OF Louisiana, one of the most
prominent members of the senate com
merce committee, yesterday asked in
speech in the Senate:
what shall we do with the great and
constantly growing government owned
merchant marine under the control of
the shipping board?"
He enumerated as many courses as he
said had come to his attention, and
named them as follows:
!. Complete government ownership
and operation
2. Ownership and operation through
a public corporation controlled by the
government.
3. Vessels owned, manned, and
equipped by the government, but oper-
ated by private shipping agencies on a
commission basis
a. Vessels owned by the government,
but operated, manned, and victualed by
the private companies.
8 Vessels owned, manned, and vict
ualed by the government, but leased to
private companies under time charters.
8. Vessels owned by the government,
but chartered to private companies, which
would pay all expenses of operation and
maintenance.
Z. Title to vessels placed in large
corporation, which would issue stock to
private individuals, the government par
ticipating in the profits
S. Selling the vessels to private pur-
chasers.
8. Combination OF any Of the forego-
ing plans.
'The shipping board" said Senator
Ransdell, NOW owns A. per cent of the
ocean-going merchant marine of the
United States over 800 gross tons. In a
few months it will own half. When the
ships already launched and now being
completed in the wet basin have been
the ships now on the ways have been
launched and delivered it will own 81
per cent When all the ships now under
contract by the shipping board have
been delivered more than 20 per cent OF
the ocean-going tonnage under the Amer
lean flag, of more than 800 gross tons
will be owned by the shipping board.
six months after the proclamation
or ratification Of the peace treaty-pcr
haps nine months from now, almost Ger
tainly within year the shipping boarC
will have merchant fleet of from five
to six million tons on its hands. with ne
power to operate il and no power to dis
pose of il. unless the congress has bN
that time adopted further legislation, d
unless the ships have by that time beeI
disposed Of
"Wc must rid ourselves of the dclu
sion that the merchant marine problem
Of the United States can BE- solved b,
merely repeating the Seaman, act. Tn
impression has been seduously fosteret
that the Scaman's act is responsible 70
all Our wors Those who are taken il
by this propaganda generally forge
what the Scaman's act is about. II abol
fishes that form of involuntary scryitud
known as arrest and Imprisonment 70
of the crew must be able seamcn. 1t re
quires that - per cent Of the crew mus
be able to understand the orders of tn
officers IT establishes standards OF safe
ty at sea recommended by the lnterna
tional Convention Of Safety at Sea. Ar
not these reasonable and meritorioU
provisions! As a practical question "
must accept the Seaman s act Member
of both parties in this body have e.
pressed the opinion 10 me that it cai
not be repealed without struggle tn;
would carry ms far beyond the tim
during which we must reach solutio
of the problem.
Il wish 30 call your attention TO I'll
4 fact that under statutes now in force II
Il shipping board itself has complete pow'
to adopt q policy for the disposition
two and half billion dollars worth
ships aud contracts without consultr
congress. The Emergency Shipping Fun
legislation OF 1917 authorized the pres
81 dent not only to manage or rate shil
acquired by the United States, but
dispose Of them. and this authority Il
president has delegated to the shppil
board without reservation.
"0nc word in an appropriation act
that single word dispose gives a boo
of five men power over two and Ina
billion dollars worth of property al
contracts; a power that can exerci
without even consulting congress.
mention this without at all implvil
that | have any reason to believe tn
the shipping board will attempt to G
ercise this power ! mention it mere
to show how unsatisfactory is our leg
lation on the subject at present a
how important it is that permanent IL
islation of a satisfactory character
soon adopted.