Gunnison news-champion., 1922-07-14

Washington, d. c., July 10:-Pres-
ident Harding has gone to the country
to sound sentiment on the pending
Ship Subsidy Bill. Unfortunately,
he will not tell certain facts about the
effect Of this bill-he is 20 intensely
for the measure that he will sing its
praises, with none present to state
to the audience the following truths
which the people are entitled to know.
The bill proposes to turn over to the
shipping trust 5000 900 900 worth of
fine steel ships built by the Govern
ment, the most modern feet in the
world, most of them oil burners. The
people Of the United States own
these ship. The bill proposes to sell
them to this group Of capitalists for
$500, 900 900, or l-15th Of their cost.
The bill also proposes to lend these
men $125, ,000, 900 to recondition the
ships. II they had been properly
cared for during the Harding admin
istration this would not be needed.
The bill provides for the payment
Of subsidy Of $780, 900 900 TO the
capitalists In the next ten years for
using this great grab of ships for
their own private gain. During three
recent years the Atlantic Gulf and
West Indies Steamship Company
made a clear profit Of 100 per cent
on its shipping business without q
subsidy; the published reports Of the
company show this, and Il is merely
used here as an example because It Is
one Of the largest of American COM
panies. During the war some ships
earned their entire cost in one trip.
There is no reason why any Of them
should fail to be self-supporting at
any time.
This subsidy will be paid even to
the ships Of the Standard Oil Com
pany and the Steel Corporation for
transporting their own products in
their own ships for their own profit.
Is 1t any wonder that they are all for
Harding? The passage Of this bill
greatly increases the list Of calling
places for the campaign fund
collectors of the Republican party
When Mr.. Harding comes up for re-
election. Is 1t any wonder, there
!, fore, that Warren 10 for the bill?
] Uuder this bill the army and navy
transports will be abolished-sold
for junk at great loss-and the busi-
ness turned oyer to the trust, when
we already have the ships bought and
paid for-not only the transports,
but the merchant fieet-in our own
possession. Is there . business man
1 in the country who would make such
q deal?
The bill does not require any reports
counting as to earnings Of these
ships, Thus the people will never
know how badly the Republican par
Z tU oN1d thar, oSsf la.a-4
/! The bill will exempt the shipping
/ trust from the payment Of all federal
/ taxes, providing the amount Is set
aside for the building Of more ships
and all the time the party II claiming
! that too many ships are already built
for the business being done-under a
Republican administration.
4 The bill makes no provisions for
the regulation of freight rates on
the water and creates gigantic COM
binstion which can make rates as
high as.it chooses and leave the ship
pers helpless. Whether they make
the rates high can be determined by
barking back to the open robbery Of
the war rates.
| In the committee hearings practic-
al steamship men admitted that the
wages Of the seamen do not hurt the
American steamship in competition
/ with the European vessels. Their
testimony showed that the difference
j in these wages does not exceed two
per cent. John C. Seager, Jr., vice.
president of the Seager Steamship
company, admitted in the hearings
that there is no reason why American
ships cannot compete with the world
under the present conditions; his and
other companies are doing it. Tho
only difficulty, he said, was that some
Of the American companies paid very
large salaries to unnecessary execu-1
/ tives some Of them as high as $780,
I 600 per year, greater than that Of