The Washington times., 1922-12-11
READY To.
OPEN SUBSIDY !
b|LLF|GHT
Senators Lining Up for Bitter
Battle Over Aid to
Ships. =.
BY J. BART CAMPBELL,
Internatlena News Service.

otmsssOssai NOW8 b0IvM0s
Both sides were digging IN" today
for the Senate battle over the ship
subsidy bill. which 10 expected to de-
vslop Into. one Of the bitterset legia.
lative struggles ever waged In that
body.
First ekirmlsh Lines Out.
Senator Jones Rep.) OF Washing.
ton. chairman of the Senate Com.
merce Committee, planned to throw
out the first skirmish line OF the
Administration forces by moving
the bill be made the UNFINISHED
business" and thereby given the
right Of way over all other pending
legislation.
Senators Borsh Of Idaho. La Fol.
lette Of Wisconsin, Norris OF Ne
braska, and Capper Of Kansas,
were among those Of the little
Progressive group on the Repub.
licAn side who stood ready TO join
the Democrats In attacking the
proposed subsidy. and employing
various tactics to block its passage,
Senator Jones warned II the bill
failed, and he was unwilling 10
predict when II was likely to be.
come q law. American national de-
Tense and commerce would alike
suffer seriously.
1T 10 vital" he said, ''As an
auxiliary to our navy we have
large and fast ships, and that
means passenger and combination
passenger and cargo liners. and to
overcome the present shortcomings
Of our fleet In that respect we have
but followed the lead Of other mari
time powers and proposed the most
practicable method of developing 6
and maintaining merchant
marine that win not be outstripped
Aside from the Importance Of a
merchant marine a. q prepared
ness measure" Jones emphasized
the necessity Of adequate provision
being made for refrigerator and
other types Of ocean carriers 80
essential to the agricultural. bust
ness and commercial interests of our
people" -.
continued. that British interests
offered to construct q fleet Of vessels
adapted to carrying the California
grape crop and stood ready to
pledge approximately $500 10000 to
an the state of Washington to.
day there are thousands Of carloads
Of apples spelling In the warehouses
US proper ships and with the short.
haul to the Coast our fruit-srowers
will be saved Q loss OF millions OF
dollars annually.
Big Ships the Gainers.
CONGRESSMAN Free Of California
pointed out In the past year the
people Of his State have lost mil.
lions of dollars because they were
unable to get adequate transporta-
ton for their products. Faced by
q serious shortage Of refriYsrator
cars on the land, they turned to, the
sea only to find . lack Of rsfrig.
orator ships awaiting them there.
In consequences the people Of Cali
fornia alone have suffered q loss
equal to what Il is estimated the
proposed subsidy will cost the entire
country during the first three wears
or 80 Of it, operation"
To Jones arguments, Senator
Fletcher Of Florida. ranking Demo-
cratic member OF the Senate Com.
merce Committee. replied the ships
that win benefit mostly from the
bill ARE not cargo ships at All"
For instance, q cargo ship OF
$500 gross tons, such ~ those built
at Hog Island. would receive a min
imum CONDENSATION" Fletcher said,
About twelve such ships would re.
ceivs Q subsidy aggrefating about
Sil 900 annually on Q basis Of zoe
steaming days and half cent Q ton
q mile on q 200-mile day. On the
other hand, q crack passenger liner
like the George WASHINGTON, Of 70,
900 gross tons. would get about
$500, 900 Q year In subsidies. The
big private steamship compenie,