The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1920-02-26


nomic problem that has been imposed
on the country as a result Of the war.
Senators on the Job.
The responsibility for preparing a |
solution of this problem through these |
hearings falls on 10 senators, includ- |
ing the following from Middle West
States:
IllinOiS-Lawrence 7. Sherman.
Minnesota-Knute Nelson.
Missouri-James A. Reed.
Ohio-Warren G. Harding.
Wisconsin-Irvine L. Lenroot
How Hearings Are Conducted.
These hearings are held in the large
committee room Of the Committee on
Commerce, in the Senate wing Of the
Capitol, in which hearings on the mer-
chant marine have been held in many
past sessions of Congress. Pictures
Of the new merchant fleet look down
from the walls. The Senators sit at
a long table with Chairman Wesley L.
Jones of the state Of Washington at the
head. Around it are grouped each day
representatives Of the country manu-
exporters, shipbuilders and ship op-
orators. Officials Of the o. S. Shipping
Board, which now controls a majority
of the ships, are alwaycs near at hand.
The daily sessions begin at p. m.
and last usually until torr"~1 ,.
'"--- o'clock,
ur utter the adjournment Of the Sen
ate f6r the day: The daily attendance
of tie committee Is good; and the in
terest shown by the Senators is Keen
and sustained. They, as veil as the
witnesses, realize that on the resut "
the committees deliberations hangs tnss
fate Of the new merchant marine, with
its 100000 officers and men and it's
1000 seagoing ships, each wvrth more
than million dollars on an average
majority of the men attending
these sessions feel that there has new
er before been a series Of congression-
al hearings at which SO much money
and such grave possibilities for eco
nomic good or evil have been at stake
Problems to Be Solved.
In substance the problems to be solv-
W
How can all these ships of the coun-
try's new merchant marine, built at
high war costs, for the emergency Of
getting men and supplies to the Eu-
ropean battle front, be operated in the
fierce competition of peace times
against ships under other flags which
have been made available to their
owners at a price which permits their
operation at profit?
Should certain percentage of the
cost of our merchant ships be charged
off as war expense in the same way
that the navy is charging off the cost
of it's war emergency fleet, and the
army the cost of it's camps and other
surplus war material?
This point having been settled, how
can the ships be most economically op-
Grated in accordance with American
standards Of upkeep and wages?
The latter question involves that of
ownership. At present a majority of
the new ships are owned by the gov
eminent. Should they be turned over
to private citizens, and, if so, at what
price, as compared with their cost and
the present cost Of building ships in
the open market?
Responsibility Of Senate.
The House Of Representatives al
ready has taken action on measures In
volving the same questions, voting al
most unanimously-24Ot to Sin favor
Of the bill introduced by Chairman
William S. Greene of the Committee on
Merchant Marine, which directs the
Shipping Board to sell the government
owned ships in it's control to private
soon as practicable"
This bill is now before the Senate
Committee on Commerce., and these
hearings relate to it, together with
three Senate bills on the merchant ma
rine, two of them introduced by Chair
man Jones and one by Senator Rams
dell Of Louisiana All Of the bills have
the same object-namely, the sale of
the war-built ships to private owners.
It may be stated incidentally that there
is no bill before Congress providing
for continued government ownership
of these ships.
Out of the four bills under consid.
GRAFTON it is expected that an effective
bill will be constructed for the con-
tinuance Of the merchant marine along
lines that it is hoped will bring out the
same character of nonpartisan vote
that was manifest in the recent pas
sage Of the Greene bill in the House.