The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-12-01

contracting IN outlay TO support our
merchant shipping, because we IRE
paying already | nm not asking your
authorization Of a new md added draft
on the public treasury, l an appeal
ing Cor q program to diminish the bur
den we nre already bearing,
Let VIZ omit particulars about the
frenzied wartime building. Possibly
we did full ne we'll ne could have been
done In anxious circumstances, Let us
pass from the moment tlie vital rela-
tionship between r merchant marine
and n commercially aspiring nation.
Aye, let US suppose for n moment the
absurdlty that with ono $3,000,0OO ZOO
experience and with the lncalculnbla
costs In lives and treasure which may
be ~chargeable to our inability prompt.
ly to apply our potency-which God
foretcnd happening again-let us mo.
mentarily ignore nll If these md turn
10 note tho mere business problem, the
practical question Of dollars md cents
with which we are confronted.
Urges Change at Once.
when your executive government
knows Of public expenditures nggre.
eating $50,000,000 annually, which 1t
believes could be reduced by hill
through u change Of policy, your gov.
eminent would be unworthy Of public
trust II such n change Were not COM
mended, nay, II II were not inSistently
urged.
And the pity Of II Is that our pres
ent expenditures In losses is not con.
structive. II looks TO no future attain
ments. 1t Is utterly ineffective In the
establishment OF II dependable mer-
chant marine, whereas the encourage
ment OF private ownership md the APP
plication OF individual initiative would
make for u permanent creation. ready
and answerable at NIL times TO the
needs Of the nation.
"But I have not properly portrayed
I'LL the current losses to the public
this year,
1--WE are wearing out our ships with:
out any provision for replacement
We are having these losses through
deterioration now. and nre charging
nothing against our capital account
But the losses are there, n regret
tably larger under government opera
ton than under private control.
"Only q few years Of continued
losses on caIital account Will mnKe
these losses through depreciation alone
| to exceed the $50, OO0, 0OC II year now
drawn to cover losses in operation.
Offers Three Solutions.
"Three courses Of action ire pos
Slble and the choice among them Is no
longer to be avoided.
"The first Is constructive. Enact
the pending bill under which l firmly
believe IN American merchant marine,
privately operated, but serving nll the
people and always available to the
government In my emergency, may
be established and maintained.
THE second Is obstructive. Con
tInue government operations and Mt
tending government losses md dis
courage private enterprise by gov
eminent competition, under which
losses are met by the public treasury.
md witness the continued losses md
deterioration until the colossal failure
ends In sheer exhaustion.
"The third Is destructive. II In
wolves the sacrifice Of our ships abroad
or the scrapping Of them at home. the
surrender Of our aspirations.
u. S. BulIded Poorly.
The gloomy picture of losses does
not end even there notwithstanding
the known war cost Is $4,000. OOO. 900.
For the present tonnage l will not
today. 1t may as well be confessed
now as ut some later time tbat In the
mad rush to build in establishing ship.
yards wherever men would organize
to expend government mOney when we
made shipbuilders overnight quite
tion or pursuits we bnilded poorly
often very poorly. Moreover, we con-
structed without any formulated pro-
gram for a merchant marine.
"The war emergency lmpelled and
the cry was for s~hips-any kind Of
ships. The error Is recalled In regret
rather than criticism. The point IL
that our fleet costing approximately
SO, 1000, OOO, 900 Is worth only q fraction
Of that cost today. Whatever that frac-
ton may be, the truth remains that
we have no market In which to sell the
ships under our present policy, and n
program Of surrender and sacrifice and
liquidation which is inevitable unless
the pending legislation Is sanctioned,
with post scores of millions more.
Sees Future Loss.
"When the question is asked, why
the insistence for the merchant ma
rine act now? The answer is apparent.
"Waiving every inspiration which
lies in a constructive plan for main
tanning our flag on the commercial
highways Of the seas, waving the
prudence in safeguarding against
another $4,000, 100000 madness il war