Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1920-01-10
by Government Operated Passenge
Ships" says:

Il must be something of IL Sh"ck to
THE American people to learn that
the Government is going to sell all
the German passenger ships it CAP
turcd and o her"ise got cut of the
war.
1t is n fine fleet of a quarter OF a
million Of tons, among them the
greatest of all the transatlantic lin
crs, the Lcyiathan. 1t is a fleet which
directly and Immediately cost the
United States Treasury nothing. 1t
is fleet part Of VIII CHI performed enor
nous service to our armies in tho
war. Ii is fleet which can give lus
tire to our Stars and Stripes afloat.
But the Government cannot afford to
operate these passenger sh .ps, big
Or little, swift or slow.
1t will be neither shock nor n
surprise to the practical ship opera
tor to hear that the Government can
not compete with other passenger YES
sells. And the reason is not as was
sugges cd that Uncle Sans vessels
cannot like others, sell liquor on the
high seas. Bars or no bars for soft
drinks or hard drinks there arc eco
nomic condit ons, political evils and
food laws which scuttle the efficiency
Of American bottoms as against for
eign bottoms and of Government own
cd and operated bottoms as against
owned and operated bot
toms.
This Is plain talk, but it means
that every dollar the Government
f2ils to earn by the ownership ana
operation OF these ships, il must get
out Of the pockets of the already over
burdened taxpayers, big and little,
white and colored in the u. S. A citi-
zen with money is slowly, but surely
having the larger portion of his
fortunes confiscated. The Sun con-
tinues:
In our merchant marine wages are
higher than In any other merchant
marine. Costs OF feeding the crews
arc higher. Costs OF general maintc
nance are higher. But as il that were
not enough OF a handicap our chip.
ping statutes concocted by labor un
ION politicians compel our vessels to
carry more than arc carried on the
ships of other nations.
On top Of all that economic load
there is tho fundamental shortcom-
ing of Government ownership and
operation In any business proposition
There are more mon, they get more
pay to the man. but they don't do the
work that other men do. They can
not DO inspired to do it. They can
got be driven to do 1t. Whether in
The merchant marine, railroad, ex--
press field or whatever field where bus
ness con live against competition on
" by productive efficiency, and superb
Dr. service, Government operation,
simply does not function economical
y.
There is nm old saying that "wha.
goes up Is bound to come down"
This is as true of an artificial ad.
vance in wages rs 1t Is in on artifi-
cial regulation in the operation OF
our merchant marine. When men de-
mand an Increase Of pay of an en-
ployer and that employer Is made up
Of tho American people, when they
know according to authentic inform.
alton that that employer Is operat
ing railroads ut an approximate loss
81 million dollars per day and then
he representatives OF the employees
demand that this kind OF operation
shall continue two years longer for
The reason that 1t has not had "a
fair trail, we nave an example Of
where the demagogue has run mad"
The New York Sun states the follow
ing sane economic truths:
Imag nation alone cannot sail ships
TO safe and sure financial harbors,
Ambition cannot. Patriotism cannot.
On the sea or on the land in private
hands or In Government hands any
bus ness proposition REQUIRED to pay
its own way must he governed by the
natural laws In any sclf-supporting
seeking ia MAINTAIN 1t
self against free and energetic com
petition the basic element OF the whole
economic problem is costs--costs OF
production, costs OF maintenance,
costs Of renewals. costs OF operation
In these costs the major, the over
whe'ming faotor is labor-what It
gets In pov and whpt It does for It's
pay. In Government ownership and
operation bitter human experience
teaches that what 1t does ts the ire
ducible minimum.
so our Government operated pas
sencer ships 20 on the rocks. And
let ns not d-cn'1o ou~~n'vne--fnr
our Government owned freight ships
In f1.o