The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-03-01
Dry Ships on a Wet Ocean.


The war made the United States al
most the leading shipping nation of the
world-second only to Great Britain.
We not only acquired some of the finest
German passenger liners, but our ship
yards turned out a vast tonnage. Now
shipping policy. Shall the government
own and operate our merchant marine,
and If not, can we be sure that private
American interests will do II?
so far as passenger traffic is con-
cerned," says the Johnston Democrat
tDem.), prohibition has legislated a
government owned and operated mer-
chant marine off the ocean. /.
Congress has not yet acquh ed the
power to make the sea dry, and people
who travel to and from Europe are GER
tain to select ships that suit them and
provide the kind of accommodations they
Prefer The German ships, especially,
are passenger carriers, and as the In
dianapolis News Clnd. Rep.) points out,
the shipping board" has found it to be
practically impossible to operate pas
senger liners under prohibition and in
competition with ships that cater to
thirsty passengers
Yet many believe that the government
should retain these vessels and operate
them, some fearing that otherwise they
will pass to foreign registry. "Presi-
dent Wilson on many occasions advo-
Gated government-owned merchant
marine" the Sacramento Bee Qnd) re-
minds us, land today the president has
the chance to bring such a fleet into
existence. With those so (German)
steamers the United States would pos
sesS a fleet of merchant steamers Sec
ond to none, with which she might
bring into being the long cherished
dream of merchant marine capable
Of competing for world trade" The
Pittsburgh Press (Ind) notes that -four
English owned liners are now being
used to carry United States mails to
Europe under a contract that costs the
American taxpayer a large sum every
United States hold on to these big, fast
and magnificent German liners and car
ry its own mail with them, instead of
paying letter-c carrying charges to a
British corporation? The Portland Ore
gonian Qnd. Rep favors retaining the
vessels for period of years ito be OPP
Grated on defined trade routes by OPP
Grating companies on commission, and
as these routes become profitable, sell
them to companies which would con-
tinue the lines"
But others oppose any continuance of
government ownership or Nationalist
ton" The seas are free" says the
New York World (Dem.), and mo gov
eminent would hope to succeed indus
trially under such conditions of wide
open competition. 1t would be
throwing away public money in great
volume. from the start" 1.-THE mind
! qusils," adds the New York Herald
(Ind) before the orgy of extravaganza
wastefulness and incompetence that d.
| rect government operation would in
volve," and the Newport News Record
| (Ind.) thinks the American people are
anxious to see the government get out
of the shipping business as soon as
| possible"
1t is insisted however that the YES
| sells must remain under the American
| flag, and we have the assurance of the
| shipping board that they will not be
sold to foreign interests. Furthermore
says the Brooklyn Eagle Qnd. Dem
! they must be allocated to routes de-
termined by the shipping board" and
4 presumably private buyers would not be
permitted to strip southern ports o
| the vessels which the Y, S. shipping
| board has allocated for the development
of new and fertile trade routes" t.
| quote the Atlanta Journal (Dem,)
| But are there any purchasers amonG
| American shipping interests? 1t de
velcped that at the recent proposed auc
| ton of the German liners the chief bid
| der was the International Mercantile
Marine, which the Hearst papers de-
nounced as a "British-Wall street syn,
dictate" declaring that such a salt
Would amount 10 transfer TO BRITISH
| control, and that furthermore the bic
was far below the actual value of the
ships, "These 80 vessels" declare thu
| Worcester Gazette CInd) "are said t
have had a pre-war value of $154 600,
goo. and to be worth 5000, 900 900 OF
present shipping valuations" Yet tn,
best offer obtainabe, it appears. is $2S,
| 600 900 under the restrictions laid dowr
by the shipping board Still, as TIL,
Salt Lake Tribune (Rep.) points out
extensive repairs are said to b,
needed" and the New York Times (Ind
| Dem.) adds that we should have t.
spend $75O00,00O in putting the German