Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-11-21


OF public funds, and the draft to
service of capable business man
agement ard experienced operat
ing directors, have resulted In az
piled efficiency and enforced eco
Monies. II is very gratifying TO
report the dimunition OF the losses
to $4,000.000 per month, or tota1
OF $60,000,0 900 a year; but II Is In
tolerable that the government
should continue policy from
which 80 enormous treasury
loss Is the inevitable outcome.
This loss, moreover. attends oper-
alton OF less than a third OF the
government owned fleet.
Il Ia not, therefore, a question
Of adding new treasury burdens
to maintain our shipping; we are
paying these burdens now. II Is
not question of contracting an
outlay TO support our merchant
shipping. because we are paying
already. am not asking your
authorization of a new and added
draft on the public treasury; l
am appealing for n program 10
diminish the burden we are al
ready bearing.
When your executive govern
ment knows OF public expenditure
aggregating nifty millions. which
Il believes could be reduced by
half through change of policy.
your government would be un-
worthy Of public trust If such
change were not commended nay,
II Il were not insistently urged.
The pity OF II Is that the present
expenditure In losses is not con-
structive. II looks 10 no future
attainments II Is utterly inef-
fective in the establishment of
dependable merchant marine,
whereas the encouragement of
private ownership and the appli-
cation of individual initiative
would make for permanent crea-
ton, ready and answerable at all
times to the needs OF the nation!
But / have not properly por-
trayed all the current losses TO the
public treasury. We are wear
ing out our ships without any
provision for replacement. We
are having these losses through
deterioration now, and are charg-
ing nothing against our capital
account. But the losses are there,
and regrettably larger under gov
ernment operation than under pri-
vate control. Only few years OF
continued losses on capital ac-
count will make these losses
through depreciation alone TO eI-
ceed the City millions year now
drawn 10 cover losses in operation.
does not end even there. Nothwith-
The gloomy picture of losses
standing the known war cost of
three billions of dollars for the
present tonnage. | Will not ven
ture 10 appraise ito cash value to-
Gay. II may as we'll he confessed
now as at some later time that In
the mad rush to build. In estab-
fishing ship yards wherever men
would organize 20 eXpend govern
ment money, when we made ship
builders over night quite without
regard to previous occupations on
pursuits, we builded poorly. often
very poorly. Moreover. we con-
structed without formulated pro-
gram fer n merchant marine, The
war EN-, ,rgency impelled, and the
cry was for ships. any kind OF
ships. The error Is recalled in re-
gret rather than criticism. Tho
point is that our feet, costing ap-
proximatelv three billions, is worth
only a fraction of that cost to-
day. Whatever that fraction may
be. the truth remains that we have
no market in which 10 sell the
ships under cur present policy. and
program OF surrender and sacri-
flee and the liquidation which Is
inevitable unless the pending legls-
lGtion is sanctioned. Will cost
scores of millions more.
This problem cannot longer be
ignored. it's attempted solution
cannot longer be postponed. The
failure of Congress 10 act decisive
ly will be no less disastrous than
adverse action.
Three courses of action are pos
sible and the choice among them
IS no longer TO be avoided.
The first is constructive-enact
the pending bill. under which, I
firmly believe, an American mer-
chant marine. privately owned and
r.rfxs snHx ...I -
the people and always available
20 the government IN any emer-
gency, may be established and
maintained.
The second is obstructive-con
tinue government operations and
attending government losses and
by government competition under
which losses are met by the pub
lie treasury and witness the con-
tinued losses and deterioration
until the colossal failure ends in
sheer exhaustion.
The third is destructiveTinvolv
ing the sacrifice OF our ships
abroad or the scrapping of them
at home, the surrender of our as
pirations. and the confession oI
our impotence to the world In
general and our humiliation be
fore the competing world In par.
ticular.
A choice among the three /.
inevitable 1t is unbelievable tha
the American people or the Con
gress which expresses their powe
will consent to surrender and de
struction. 1t is equally unbellev
able that our people and the Con
gress which translates thei
!; wishes into action will longer sus
tain a. program of obstruction
and attending losses 10 the trnn .