New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-21
Charges British
Plot to Wreck
u. S. Shipping
RansdelI Tells Senate He
Has Proof of Powerful
Campaign Abroad 10
ID e f at Subsidy Bill
Spirit Is Hostile, He Says
Asks if We Are to Permit Sea
ToBe Posted English Prop
erty; America Keep Off

From. The Trtbune's Washington Bureaa
WASHINGTON, July 20.-Organized
foreign opposition to the Adminstra-
ton shipping bill not only exists, but
is bitter and active, according to Sena-
tor Ransdell. of Louisiana, in a Senate
speech to-day. He pictured British OPP
position as especially pronounced, and
asked whether Great Britain was to be
permitted to set up notice on the
high seas reading British Property
Americans Keep Of"
Senator Rsnsdell read letter from
the Mississippi Valley Association
which declared that proof is now con-
elusive that the powerful shipping in
terests of England are determined, if
possible, to prevent the enactment of
the ship subsidy bill" Senator Rams
dell read many clippings from various
British publications. These contained
many direct threats of retaliation and
of commercial war.
Sees "Pro-British Party" Here
"Shall Britain dictate our sea pol
icy?" was the subject of Senator Rams
dell's address, and he charged that a
British Empire combination was being
urged to oppose the development of
the American merchant marine, that
the British government was being
called upon to bring diplomatic pres
sure to bear upon Washington, and that
an appeal had been made to so-called
pro British party" in the United
States to help in the fight against the
bill.
Declaring that the charges against
America "are so false, so offensive, so
RI P~in twill
that should exist between the two
countries that | am at a loss to under
stand them" Senator Ransdell said
that If there were a pro-British and
an anti-British party in this country
one opposing and the other favoring
the shipping bill, he was unaware of it.
Shall we be content to continue as
we are now doing" Senator Ransdell
asked, carrying per cent of Britains
trade, while she carries nine times
that much Of ours? Shall we be con-
tent to go on carrying less than one
fifteenth as much of Britain's trade
as she herself carries, while at the
same time she is transporting greater
proportion Of our foreign commerce
than We ourselves do?
Cites Commerce Figures
Here are figures compiled from the
4 ASPSAso VI eiiS HSPoA VI Soll-
merce showing that for the ten months
ending with April last American ves-
sells carried S1,54O,0o0,000 worth Of our
exports and imports, as compared with
$1605,0O0,0 900 in British ships and ST.
327 100000 worth in the ships of all
nations"
Analysing the total foreign trade of
this country for 1919, 1920 and 1921,
} he showed that if American vessels had
carried half our trade there would
/ have been retained in America $275,-
900 more in freight payments than
was the case.
"And if we had been able to secure
as great share Of our own trade as
the British have of theirs" he added,
1--WE should have kept in this country
$3.50, 100000 that went abroad Even
the highest subsidy that has been pro-
posed for the American merchant
marine would in three years amount
to only q fraction of the figures
have cited. We seek no monopoly
only fair share Of our carrying trade
at least 80 per cent.
Il say that vote against the bill
to aid the American merchant marine
is vote to aid Great Britain and to
injure the United States-a vote to
destroy perhaps forever our chances
of an adequate place on the high seas.
Shall we allow Great Britain to die
tate our sea policy and leave US in
commercial bondage for generations to
Gomez"