Evening star., 1922-12-20
SHIP DATA FALSE,
DECLARES LASKER
Millions of Farmers MisIed
by Senator Capper's "Prop-
aganda," He Says.
NO 100000 600 y SALE
Bill Only Creates Market and Sub
sidy Is Exaggerated, Let
ter Asserts.
NO 100000 600 y SALE

Albert u. Lasker. chairman OF the
United States Shipping Board. has
written Senator Capper Of Kansas.
severely rebuking him for presenting
the ship subsidy bill to millions OF
farmers throughout the middle west
in a light wholly at variance with
the facts
Through Capper's Weekly and other
OF the senator's papers the chairman
of the Shipping Board says great
section of the country has been pre-
sented with erroneous data on the
shipping bill Recently these papers
held "a poll asking a secre; ballot Oh
the shipping question and, according
to MI. L.sker, the bill was presente"
to the people from tho po.nt or view
of the minority report on the OIL
prepared by Representative DAVIS
democrat of Tennessee. when. NJ
says. every one kno.s was par,I
stn report. framed for political pur-
poses and unjnstified by the facts.
Chairman Lasker charges that Sena-
tor Camper has presented the shipping
bill to the people from this angie:
That the people. through their gov.
ernment. shall sell the merchan. nee' me-
for about s200.000.O00. lend Si25.Ooo' :
600 to recondition and build ships and
then pay the owners about $150o oOO.-
600 In subsidies" This. he says. is not
the true purport Of the bill. and the
people of the nation should be Put
right on the question.
Challenges Sale Report.
Taking up the statements In order
Lasker wrote:
II challenge any one to find where
the Shipping Board has ever proposed
that the war-built merchant marine
be sold for approximately $500. 100000
What can be realized from the gov
ernment fleet depends on changing,
world conditions as we'll as changing
conditions surrounding the american
merchant marine. One OF the main
purposes of the proposed bill Is to
create a market that will enable the
ships to be sold at all. for. under the
present conditions of government op-
+ Grafton the Shipping Board. desp't.
great effort and what 1t deemed worlu
prices. has been able to dispose OF SO
, little ge as to amount to practi-
caHy nothing at all. The pending
bill, 1t is believed will create mar
ket that will make possible the sale
of the ships so as to realize largely
in excess of s9oo.ooo.ooo x
II Is proposed to lend 1925 100000 to
recondition the ships or build others
II 1t had been the purpose OF those
who drafted the questionnaire TO
submit this feature of the bin even
with remote fairness. the question
naire would have stated that the mer-
chant marine act of 1920 now the law
Of the land, already provides for
SIPS 100000 loan fund for the con-
struction of ships: that the proposed
bill makes only slight modification In
the existing law to meet present con-
ditions more successfully.
No $3.50. 900 600 Subaidies.
1.-THE statement proceeds to say.
And then pay the owners about
$3.50. 900. 900 In subsidies and aids with
in the next ten years. Whoever con-
nected with your weekly accepted this
quotation from the democratic minority
report has. to my mind. willfully or ig-
norantly put forth q statement that
does not remotely come within the
facts.
'As tho bill stands at present. all
privately owned tonnage under the
American flag dncludins that in the
coastwise trade that could be used
on the deep seas) were. Immediately
on passage Of the bill. put into ocean
service. the total subsidy paid would
be less than S5.500.000. II In addition
all the government operated feet
subsidy cost >the first year would be
less than S15.000,000.
"It is apparent therefore, that the
statement of a $3.50. 600. 900 subsidy cost
in ten years is not within the facts"