The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-12-14
HARDING WILL
ASK AID FOR
SHIP OWNERS
President, in Message to Con-
gress, Will Urge American
Shippers Reimbursed Out
of Export Duties.
WANTS GREAT MARINE
ny MARK SULLIVAN

short time President Harding is going !
10 deliver to congress a message Gov |
erins the present status of government |
shipping after six months of control
by his appointees. AT the same time
he will lay down a policy for the fu-
ture Of the shipping board and of
American shipping generally. AS one
detail of this policy he is going to rec
ommend government aid for the main
tenance OF shipping under private
American ownership.
President Harding is going to call
this aid by the name of 'remunera-
ton" but that isn't going TO prevent
many Democrats. and many Repub
licans as well. from calling it by the
old name of Subsidy and hurting
bricks at it. President Hardmg's new
name is not a mere verbal device to
escape the odium attaching to an old
name. He has some reason for his
choice of words.
When the Underwood tariff bill was
passed it provided that America
should charge 10 percent more duty
on goods imported in foreign ships
than on goods brought in on Ameri-
can ships. The effect of this would
be TO favor American ships. but the
war interviewed, and President Wilson
never thought it desirable to put the
provision into effect. For his failure
10 carry out the mandate of congress,
the Republicans used to denounce Will
son whenever they had a little time TO
spare.
Finally. in 1920, when the act for
the management Of the shipping board
was passed, the president was direct
cd in so many words to take the steps
necessary TO put this clause into ell
feet.
Continued to Refuse
Wilson still continued to refuse, and
the Republicans continued to denounce
him Finally when President Harding
came into office, he took up the mat
ter of putting the discriminatory duties
into effect, and after a good deal OF
study has now come to the conclusion
that President Wilson was wholly
right and that his Republican critics
were wholly wrong.
In order TO put these discriminatory
duties into effect it would be neces-
sary to "denounce'-as the diplomatic
phrase is-some twenty-five CONNER
cial treaties that we have with var
ious nations. which treaties provide.
in effect, that there be no discrimina-
tory duties.
Some of these treaties are more
than 100 years old, and President
Harding, when he looked into the
matter, was instantly aware of the i'm
propriety of adding to the confusion
now existing in international relations
by terminating most of our treaties
with foreign nations
Plan Would Not Pay
The time when the thing came up
for final decision was just as the arma-
ment conference met, and II was rec
ognized that at that time. particularly,
such al action would be bad manners
3r worse.
We might stop with this virtuous
reason for not denouncing our treaties
but complete candor requires it to be
said also that President Harding dis
covered it wouldn't pay. He had the
figures about the various classified
tons of our imports carefully analyzed
end found that the thing would work
out badly from a financial point of
'iew The mandate of congress has
heen based on insufficient information
What Mr. Harding is now going to
propose appears to be that we shall
take a certain percentage of all our
import duties and use it as "remunera-
the point of view of the national
treasury. it will be bookkeeping
transaction merely 1t will be govern
ment aid. by whatever name you call
il, and the public will pay.
Suggestive Facts.
All that is going to lead to debat,
ond discussion on the whole broad
question of whether America ought oi
ought not to spend large sum o'
public money in order to help Ameri
can ship owners maintain an Ameri
can merchant marine.
Volumes could be and will be writ
ten and spoken about it during thC
coming year. For the present few
merely suggestive and very incom
plete facts can be set down.
America can have ocean shipping
only by government aid. Private shiI
owners can not compete with private
owners in Great Britain, Japan anC
other counties.
Our present scheme of government
owned shipping has failed utterly
Harding is determined 10 end it. 81
is Chairman Lasker. II Is Wasteful
inefficient. and altogether deplorablC
TO A degree that constitutes nationa
scandal.
But President Harding is equal!
determined to have great American
mercantile marine under private own
ership, and he is willing to pay tn
price. He will press this policy ol
congress very strongly.
Must Have Marine
The chief theory behind the Wisl
for an American-owned shipping /
that if we are to be great mercantil
nation, doing an international bus1
ness, it is as necessary for us to hav'
our own ships as for store to hav
its own delivery wagons.
In time OF stress, foreign owner
of ships will favor their own mel
chants against ours. The argumen
against a subsidy is the broad one tha
if the British, Japanese. Dutch ant
Others can carry goods cheaper thai
Americans can they ought TO be a,
: lowed TO have the business.
These sentences are wholly made
quate, and are meant to be merel
suggestive. Il is the biggest sort o
subject, and deserves the wides
rossible understanding on the par
of the public.