The Washington herald., 1922-12-19
LASKER HITS CAPPER
ANT|-SUBS|DY POLL
Declares Senate's Farm Pa.
pers Have Distorted Ship
ping Situation.

Continued from First PageJ
lend 1926. 6.oOO.O 900 to recondition
the ships or build others. and
$3.50 900 900 in subsidies and
aids within the next ten years
A clause provides that when 4
ship has earned 10 per cent
of it's investment, half of its
earnings shall revert to the
subsidy fund until the full sub
sides it has been paid are re-
turned. President Harding ad-
vocates the subsidy plan as the
cheapest way for the govern
ment to get out Of the shipping
business. He believes an Amer
ican merchant marine would
greatly develop our foreign
commerce.
STATEMENTS INACCURATE.
Whatever may be your posi-
ton on the impending ship SUBJ
sidy bill. l am sure that you do
not desire the readers Of your
paper to reach their conclusions
upon either inadequate or erro-
neous statements: and because the
statements in the circular Of the
organ controlled by you are not
accurate and are wholly at vari-
ance with the facts, feel It my
duty to you, to myself and to the
people. we both represent. to give
you the facts. and thus enable you
to correct the erroneous impress
sions your publication has created.
You certainly would not wish, and
certainly could not permit, any
part of our people to be misled
concerning the provisions of the
ship subsidy bill. or the facts sur
rounding 1t.
The statements as to the work.
ings Of the bill made in your circu.
lar are all taken from the minority
House report prepared by Mr..
Davis d. Of Tennessee par
tisan report which every one
Washingtm-wise knows was pre-
pared for political purposes and
Is unjustified by the facts; your
words are taken, practically sylla-
bic for syllable, from this partisan
minority report.
CREATE A MARKET.
1 challenge one to find where
the Shipping Board has ever
proposed that the war.built mer-
chant fleet be sold for approx
mately $500 900. 900. What can be
realized for the Government fleet
depends on changing world con-
ditions as well as changing con-
ditions surrounding the American
merchant marine.
One of the main' purposes of
the proposed bill is to create a
market that will enable the ships
to be sold at all. for. under pres
ent conditions of Government op-
GRAFTON. the Shipping Board. de-
spite great effort and at what It
deemed world prices, has been
able to dispose of so little ton
mage as to amount to practically
nothing at all. The pending bill,
it is believed. will create a mar
ket that will make possible the
sale of the ships so as to realize
largely in excess of 5000 ,000. 900.
Next your QUESTIONABLE states
that it is proposed to lend S125,-
100000 to reconditiOn the ships
or build others. If ii had been
the purpose of those who draft
ed the QUESTIONABLE to submit
this feature Of the bill even
with remote fairness, the ques-
tionaire would have stated that
the merchant marine act Of 1920,
now the law of the land already
provides for a SIPS ,0OO, 900 loan
fund for the construction of
ships; that the proposed bill
makes only slight notifications
in the existing law to meet
present conditions more success
fully.
The statement proceeds to say.
and then pay the owners about
$50, 900. 900 in subsidies and aids
within the next ten years." Who.
ever connected with your weekly
accepted this quotation from the
Democratic minority report has,
to my mind. wilfully ro ignorant
ly put forth statement that
does not remotely come within
the facts.
In the original bill as submitted