Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1920-02-26
SENATE SEEKS Ugh
ON sHIPPIN6 PROBLEM

on SnlPPIN6 PROBLEM
How Can Vast Merchant Fleet
% Operated Without Loss
to Treasury
FUTURE OF FLAG ON SEA
m HANDS OF SENATORS
Waahingtou, D. C-The country has
Invested between three and four billion
dollars In merchant shipa, which u
now has On tn hands Every taxpAy.
er. whether farmer. worker or mer~
chant business man or manufactures,
1t present 10 Z stockholder In these
shipa. How can they be run at prof.
Il In competition with other nationse
n other words. how 10 our nag 70 10
kept On the seast
These are the questions with which
the members Of the Senate Committee
o. Commerce are wrestling In Z aota-
BILE series of hearings o. the merchant
marine which are nov u progress
ct the CApitel. Il ID likely that
thess hsarings may last several weeks
more. and the legislation on which he
committee 10 seeking light ID expected
10 sagaee the attentiou Of Congress
coe several months 70 come. The euss-
tions involved h the hearings cOnst1-
tute. b fact the gravest single eco
aomic problem that has besn imposed
On the country % result ef the var.
osNaeses - ne JsA
The responsibility Ter prsparins .
solution Of this problem tAFeagh thsss
hearingo falls o. 10 senatora, inelu1.
Ing the following frs0 Middle Wen
States:
nlinois-LAwrsacs 7. 0hsrmaa.
Ninneoota-Knute Melissa.
Aissouri-Ja0ee A. Heel
Ohio-Warren q. Har11ne.
Wlscensin-lrvine I. Leoroet.
New NoarlMoo A. ceMdve4s1.
These hsariass are held In The lafGs
committee reeo Of the Committee -
Commerce. In the Senate wing ef he
Capitol, In which hearings % the me-.
chant marine have been held In many
past sessions Of Congrsn. Picturss
Of the new merchant nset look Aewn
from the walls. The Ssaators 1T ~
. long table with Chairman Wesley l.
Jones Of the state u Washiagton at he
head. Around Il are grouped each day
Representatives Of the country manu-
facturers. merchants, farmers. bankers,
exporters, shipbuilders and ship op.
orators. Ofacials Of the U. 8. Shippins
Board. which now controls q majority
Of the ships, are alwaycs near 1t hand
The daily sessions begin 1t : p. =.
and last usually until toward 9 o'clock.
or after the adjournment Of the Ssa-
ate for the day. The daily attendance
Of the committee 10 good, and the In
terest shown BY the Senators ID keen
and sustained. They. - we'll - the
witnesses. realize that on the result q
the committees deliberations hangs the
fate Of the new merchant marine, with
its 100000 of,cers and nen and its
1000 seagoing ships. each worth more
than q million dollars on an average.
A majority Of the men attending
these sessions feel that there hes new.
er before been . series Of COMPRESSION.
al hearings at which % much money
and such grave possibilities for eco.
nOmic food or evil have been at stake.
Problems 70 Dc solved.
II substance the problems to be eolv.
ed In these hearings are N follows:
How can al these ships Of the coun-
try's new merchant marine, built Ut
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 . price which permits their
Opera ton IT q profitf
Should Q certain percentage Of the
cost OF our merchant ships be charged
on ~ war expense In the same way
that the navy 10 charging on the cost
Of it, war emergency neet, and the
army the cost Of Its camps and other
surplus war materialf
This point having been settled, how
can the ships be most economically op-
Grated In accordance With Americas
standards Of upkeep and wayesi
The latter question involves that Of
ownership. At present . majority Of
the new ships are owned by the gsv-
eminent. Should they be turned over
to private citizens. and. n 90. at what
price. a. compared with their cost and
the present cost Of building ships In
the open MARKET
Responsibility ~ Senate.
The House Of Representatives a.
ready has taken action on measures in
volying the same questions, voting o.
most unanimousiy--24O to Sin favor
Of the bill introduced BY Chairman
william 8. 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 a. practicable"