The Redwood gazette., 1920-02-25

for several months to come. The queS- |
tions involved in the hearings consti- |
tute, in fact, the grayest single eco
nomic problem that has been imposed |
on the country as result of the war.
Senators on the Job.
The responsibility for preparing a
solution of this problem through these
hearings falls on 19 senator's, includ-
ing the following from Middle West
States:
Illnois-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
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-
facturers, merchants, farmers, bankers,
exporters, shipbulders and ship OPP
orators Officials of the q. S. Shipping
Board, which now controls a majority
of the ships, are alwaycs near at hand
The daily sessions begin at 2 p. m.
and last usually until toward o'clock,
or after the adjournment of the Sen
ate for the day. The daily attendance
of the committee is good, and the in
terest shown by the Senators is keen
and sustained They, as well as the
witnesses, realize that on the result Of
the committees deliberations hangs the
fate of the new merchant marine, with
its 100000 officers and men and it's
1000 seagoing ships, each worth more
than million dollars on an average
A 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-
ed in these hearings are as follows:
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 a 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 its war emergency feet, and the
army the cost of its camps and other
surplus war material7
This point having been settled, how
can the ships be most economically OPP
Grated In accordance with American
standards Of upkeep and wages?
The latter question involves that of
ownership. At present majority of
the new ships are owned by the gov
ernment. 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-240 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 its control to private
buyers at the world market price "as
soon as practicable"
This bill is now before the Senate
Committee on Commerce, and these
hearings relate to 1t, 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-buat ships to private owners.
1t may besstatefi 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 win be constructed for the con-
tinuance Of the merchant marine along
lines that II is hoped will bring out the
same characters Of nonpartisan vote
eaxe ct the Greene bill In the House