South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-05-28
MERCHANT MARINE
CAUSING WORRY TO
PRIEST HARDING
Unable to Find Men Willing
to Accept Posts on U. S.
Shipping Board.
BY LOUIS LUDLOW

~ <Asofl A-NG O-Nf Nay -t.-l II =
governments merchant marine has
turned out 20 be a distressing bur
den. CT the many domestic prob
lens before the new administration
IL presents the most perplexing as
poets. The failure OF Prest. Hard
ing 20 form new shipping hoard is
due 10 the dissemination OF men ~
large affairs 10 take hold of a losing
venture.
One Of the first announcements
make by the administration after
March was that a shipping board
would Immediately be appointed
The senate has failed TO confirm 10
board appointed by Pres't Wilson
and the affairs Of the merchant ma
rine were in a bad way. After the
president had spent some three
weeks trying 10 make up a board
he came TO area!ization of the diff
culties that he had to contend with
and requested Acknowledgement. the
chairman OF the old board, TO con-
tinue to represent the government in
board matters until a board could
be created. Weeks have continued
10 go by without any change in the
situation.
The chief difficulty OF the admin
istratiOn had been 10 find a man who
Will accept the craftsmanship Of the
board, a place that carries great
responsibility Several men who
have established remarkable records
in the business world have been
asked TO take the Craftsmanship, but
thus far there has been a declination
in every instance. The law provides
for what is called a group board,
that is 10 say each member must
represent a group Of states, specif-
cally described in the law, and this
restriction has added 10 the Difficult
ties Of the president in making up a
board.
For instance, one Of the provisions
is that one member snall represent
the states bordering on the Great
Lakes. This means that if any
member Of the board should be ap-
pointed from New York state no
other member could come from a
state touching the Great Lakes. and
this would bar a representative from
a very large group OF states border
ing on the lakes.
Sooner or later the administration
will have to fix on a definite mer-
chant marine policy Everybody
concerned realizes that things can
not go on the way they are now
going. The shipping board is ac-
cumulating an enormous deficit and
the congress shows no inclination 10.
appropriate money 10 clean up this
deficit. Worse than all there are
no plans at present for checking the
growing deficit
The secretary of the treasury at
the request Of Admiral Benson re-
Gently asked congress 10 make a de-
ficiency appropriation OF $134,0O0.00O
for the fiscal year which Will end
June 80. 1922. The deficiency bill
as reported by the house committee
allows the board only $4,000. 900 of
this amount. Thus far there has
been no final statement as TO what
the boards deficiency for the cur
rent fiscal year will be. The bill in
addition 10 allowing a deficiency OF
S25 600 OGO for the coming year pro-
poses 20 appropriate S1,S52, 600 10
cover "A portion of the deficiency for
the present year.
The administration realizes that
this STEADY drain on the treasury
mast be checked. One proposal is
that the government get rid Of its
entire feet Of ships by sale as quick
is as possible. The difficulty about
carrying out such a program is that
there Is no market for ships At the
present time. During the latter part
OF the Wilson administration the old
shipping board proposed 20 sell the
government owned ships aand pro
posed 20 dc this at a time when there
was a fairly good market for the
ships. Opposition TO the proposal
was voiced in congress, ana William
r. Hearst rushed into court here IN
the District Of Columbia and obtain
cd an order restraining the board
from selling the ships.
OF course sooner or later the gov
eminent viii have 20 pay the accu-
mulated debts OF the Shipping board.
The majority IN congress at this time
decline 10 appropriate money 10 take
care OF the deficit as IL accumuiates,
but there Will come a day when the
governments creditors Will have 20
be satisfied. All these considerations
have been taken into account by
business men who have been invited
TO accept membership on the board.
some of the government experts
are roughly estimating that during
the fiscal year which Will begin the
first Of next July. transportation IA
cilities, that is 10 say the govern
ments merchant marine and the
railroads viii take al least one billion
out of the federal treasury. Secre-
tsry Of the treasury Mellon estimates
that the federal government Will
have 20 pay the railroads about
S545.O00.000 in 1922. this payment
TO be made under the provisions OF
the transportation act OF 1922. APP
parently there is no way by which
the federal government can escape
these enormous obligations growing
out OF the maintenance OF transpor-
tation facilities during the next fiscal
year. The problem OF the admins
trat.on - 10 find a way 20 stop this
drain after the fiscal year OF 1922.