New-York tribune., 1921-06-06
Write Billions
Off Ship Costs,
Sclnwab Urges
saws War-Built Government
Fleet Should Be Sold
at Any Price in Reason
to Private Operators
Nixon for Discrimination
Fayors Repeal of Seamen's
Law; for Tonnage Taxes
to Aid American Vessels

Sale of the governments ships to
,rivsts American operators at any
mice within reason is urged by Charles
II. Schwah as s step toward the de-
vslaament of the American merchant
marine. AS director general OF the
emergency Fleet Corporation. Mr..
Schwsb led the shipbuilding drive dur
irg the war which produced this tom
lewis Nixon, formerly a shipbuilder
ssd until recently a member of the
public Service Commission, advocates
preferential treatment of American
vessels as the solution of the shipping
problem. Both men express their
views in current issues of marine pub
liestious-Mr Schwab in Ship News
and Mr. Nixon in The Marine Journal.
"0ar whole shipbuilding program
during the war was an emergency pro-
gram says Mr. Schwab. 1--WE had to
build ships in yards under conditions
that made them not available for q
future merchant marine. | mean by
that economically available.
Would Write OF Billions
az have always been of the opinion
that this emergency feet ought to be
50 regarded, and that of this cost os
s30o0,00o,000 at least S2,00o,000, ,0o0 or
s2500,G 100000, or whatever the figure
would show, ought TO be charged off al
war cost, because that is what it
originally was. We are making q
great mistake in imagining that those
s5000,000000 spent in ships are going
10 constitute a merchant marine, be-
cause the ships are not of the type
with which TO do it.
Il think that these ships should be
realized upon at any price we can get
within reason from private operators
50 far as they can make them of some
value; that private enterprise in ship
ping ought to be stimulated, if we want
real merchant marine, toward the
building of ships. that there ought to
be investment of private capital in
ships that will be profitable, and that
thus we should build to go with this
part of the feet real merchant ma
rine, which l do not think we have
now. Nor can we ever have one unless
We will do that
Nixon Favors Preference
Declaring that in his view subsidies
are unconstitutional, Mr.. Nixon adds:
We have methods which, after ter
ainating certain hurtful commercial
conventions, We know will give vigor,
strength and earning power TO our yes
sells. The termination of such treaties
(which would enable the enforcement
Of discriminating duties) is in no sense
a breach of treaty faith, as termina-
tlon is provided for
discriminating duties offering lower
duties or no duties on goods brought in
american vessels, differential tonnage
taxes Offering lower taxes on American
vessels, and discriminating tolls offer
ing lower tolls or no tolls on American
vessels are no more a subsidy than is
putting an article on the free list a
subsidy to the foreign maker whose
product drives a domestic product out
Of the home market which our maker is
taxed TO protect.
The La Toilette bill, passed to please
= seamen's union, must be repealed
!he Jones bill should be carried out in
1all Vlgor- We must return to discrimi-
mating duties that will cover even arti
eles on the free list if it is not found
better to provide that no article can
come in free to our markets unless
brought on an American vessel. We
must make it possible for American in
sufance companies to insure our ships
and cargoes. We must insist upon
American classification4 We must util-
ize to the full our tonnage taxes to
meet any discrimination agaist us.
head taxes on immigrants should be
greater on foreign vessels -