Evening star., 1922-11-28
FOES TURN>GUNS
ON SHIPPING BILL
Center Attack on Provision
for Direct Governmental
Aid to Owners.

Opponents OF the administra tion
shipping bill. which is nearing final
vote in the House. centered their at
tack at the outset OF today's session
on the provision creating a merchant
marine fund for payment of direc.
government aid to American ship
owners.
Representative Davis. Tennessee, q
democratic member of the merchant
marine committee. offered an amend
ment to eliminate the entire section.
and the House Immediately plunged into
debate. With Various speakers limited to
five minutes.
Wants to know Cost.
The section which Mr. Davis sought
to strike out provides for creation Of
the fund by the transfer to it of 10
per cent Of customs duties. tonnage
dues collected by the government and
refunds made by companies making
high profits.
Mr.. Davis contended that if a sub
sloy was to be paid it should be met
annually by appropriation so that the
country would know exactly how
much the law was costing.
THIS provision is camounaSe.' he
declared. land is inserted to mislead
the public as to the cost of subsidy"
f publican members Of the mer-
the bill. defended the fund provision.
Representative Kirkpatrick Of Penn
syivania asserting II was the most
vital section in the measure.
Provisions Eliminafed.
Regarded 'as mosi important Of the
amendments adopted yesterday was
that which slashed entirely from the
bill that provision under which ship
pers in American vessels would receive
an income tax rebate amounting to S
per cent Of the transportation paid
Others adopted eliminated the section
permitting sale OF ships by the Ship
ping Board without advertising or COM
peutive bidding: increased from 9 per
cent to ~ per cent the minimum in
terest on loans from the revolving fund
for ship construction. and provided that
the steamship Leviathan. the biggest
IT the government fleet. should not be
sod for less than the cost Of her re-
conditioning. placed at ss,lss.o 900.
Beside the amendments adopted.
announcement was made by Repre-
sentative Edmonds, Pennsylvania,
ranking republican member Of the
merchant marine committee, which
framed the bill, that he would offer
an amendment striking out the pro
vision under which concerns, such as
the Standard Oil Company. transport
ing their own goods in their own
ships would share in the government
subsidy.
Six Of Thirty-Seven Shots Hit.
Thirty-seven shots in the shape Of
amendments were fired at the admin
istration shipping bill in the House
yesterday, and six hit spots more or
less vital
The Isht to riddle the bill was be-
gun five minutes after the actual
reading started. On his feet first
Representative Graham Of Illinois put
forward an amendment to strike out
a section permitting the Shipping
Board to sell ships without advertise
m@nt or competitive sales. peclar-
ing that the worst scandal in the gov
surplus stocks by negotiated sale"
Mr.. Graham called upon republicans
to take the section and throw it out.
MsndeU Not Opposed.
Representative Monde'l. Wyoming.
the republican leader. asserted that
while he saw no reason why it should
Hot feHiitH. lie was not opposed 10 It's
elimination
An amendment by Representative
Blantor. democrat. Texas. providing
that no government cmploye should
be interested financially in the pur-
chase Of government ships was passed
with little opposition.
Representative Dickinson. republi-
can. Iowa. one of the farm bloc lead
ers. failed in his effort to have farm
ers exporting products put on all
tours with shippers receiving an in
come tax rebate. His amendment was
offered to the income tax rebate Sec
ton. which was later voted out.
The provision in the bill stipulatinK
that one-half Of the total number Of
immigrants admitted to the United
States should be brought over in
American ships was attacked, but it
remained unchanged.
Amendnent Voted Down.
The Davis amendment finally was
voted down. 1872 to SO. The House
adopted. however. an amendment by
Chairman Madden of the appropria-
sentative Mondell. Wyoming. republi-
can floor leader. reserving to Congress
the right to appropriate annually the
money to be expended from the mer-
chant marine fund.
Representative Hardy. democrat, of
Texas. sought, unsuccessfully, to en-
large the Madden amendment by
specifying that any part of the fund
not appropriated by Congress each
year should be recovered to the gov
ernment fund of the Treasury.