Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-11-24
SHIP SUBSIDY is NECESSARY.
President Says That the Withholding
of Help Means Loss.

| enactment OF the administration
marine bill was urged upon congress
Tuesday by President Harding as nee
essary to relieve the government of
present staggering losses" in operation
of the war-built merchant feet, and to
establish n program of assured ship
ping to serve the nation in war and
give a guaranty of commercial indie
pendence in time of peace.
Personally addressing joint session
Of the house and senate the executive
declared an actual monetary saving to
the government would result from the
proposed law. He challenged every
! insinuation of favored interests and
the enriching of the special few at the
expense of the public treasury. The
legislation, he asserted, automatically
guarded against enrichment or perpet-
ual bestowal.
"If success attends, as we hope it
WILL" he added, "the government out
lay is returned, the inspiration of op-
portunity to earn remains and Ameri-
can transportation by sea is maintain
| ed"
Foreigners Anxious.
The president said concern about
the American merchant marine policy
was not limited to our own domain"
adding that the maritime nations of the
world were "in complete accord with
the opposition here to the pending
measure" He declared those nations
had a perfect right to such an attitude,
but that he wished to stress the
American viewpoint, which, he said,
should be the viewpoint from which
one sees American carriers at sea, the
dependence of American commerce,
and American vessels for American
reliance in the event Of war;
Mr.. Harding declared it would be
'such transcending national import
ance" must have it's fate depend upon
geographical, occupational, profession
al or partisan objection. A commercial
eminence on the seas and ample agen-
cies for the promotion in carrying of
American commerce, he asserted, were
of no less importance to the people of
the Mississippi and Missouri valleys,
the great Northwest and the Rocky
Mountain states than to the seaboard
states and industrial communities in
land.
TT is common cause, with it's ben
efits commonly shared" he said.
If government aid Is q fair term to
apply to authorization, aggregating
s75,O00,O00 to promote good roads for
market highways, the president add
ed, it is equally fit to be applied to
the establishment and maintenance of
American market highways on the
"salted seas" AS to present govern
ment operation of the shipping board
fleet, Mr. Harding said, there was the
unavoidable task Of wiping out fifty
million dollar annual loss and losses
aggregating many hundreds Of mil
lions" in worn out, sacrificed or scrap
ped shipping. He called attention that
the government ships were being worn
out without any provision for replace
ment and that program Of surrender
and sacrifice and the liquidation which,
he declared, would cost scores of mil
lions. The cost of the proposed legis-
lation, giving the direct aid, he said,
with ocean carrying maintained at the
present average, would not reach $2O,-
100000 a year and the maximum direct
aid If American shipping were so pro-
NOTED that it carried one-half the ma
tons deep sea commerce would not
exceed thirty millions annually.