Arizona republican., 1922-06-17
SUBSIDY BILL
WILL Be SUBJECT At
WHITE HOUSE CONF FAD
G. @. P. Leaders In House
Cling To View That
Measure Should Go Over
Until December

WASHINGTON, June To- Repub-
lican leaders of the house will confer
again tomorrow with President Hard
ing on the question of taking up the
administration ship subsidy bill
prior to adjournment.
Indications tonight were that they
would reiterate the belief that con-
sideration of the measure ought TO 60
over until the December session, but
all leaders declared they would take
it UP and force it to vote il the
president still insisted
The oil was reported today to the
house by The merchant marine com
mittee which rejected the Bankhead
amendment providing that no gov
ernment aid should go to ships on
which liquor was sold There was no
action on the Edmonds proposal for
imposition of $4,000 fines on all ships,
American or foreign, which sold liquor
on any voyage starting or ending at
an American port.
Defeated by the committee. Mr..
Bankhead announced he would de-
mand a vote on his amendment in
the house. There was no record vote
in committee on the amendment but
1T was opposed by Republicans and
supported by Democrats.
The prohibition question wrapped
itself so closely about the bill
that many leaders admitted they
were in doubt as to how it might
stand up in the house Injection of
the liquor into the fight according to
Republicans opposing action at this
time invited defeat of the bill
Representative Garner. Democrat,
Texas told the house today what most
members had been hearing for 10
days-that Speaker Gillette, Republi-
can. Representative Mondell. Chair
man Campbell of the rules committee
and majority of the Republican
steering committee We're against con-
siderat ton of the bill prior to election.
When the bill formally was pre-
sented to the house by Chairman
Greene of the merchant marine COM
mittee Democratic members were Civ
en- unth Thursday to file a minority
report.
The committee vote on reporting
the bill was to 4, Republicans voting
aye and Democrats nay except Rep
resentative Cullen, Democrat. New
York, who voted present. The ma
jority report presented by Chairman
Green contained a detailed explana-
ton of each important section of the
bill and an argument for it's passage.
Declaring the situation today with
respect to establishment OF a mer-
chant marine was different from that
obtaining at any time heretofore. the
report added:
1T is not a question whether we
wish a merchant marine-for we have
it. 1t is not a question of subsidy or
no subsidy, because to meet the gov
ernm&nts loss of S50,000,000 year in
the oper alton of our merchant marine,
the people are being taxed far beyond
what would be needed were the ships
brought into efficient commercial
operation.
The main question, the report said,
was disposal of the present fleet sol
that with the least cost to the tax
payers sit may be made of the great
est use to the country as a whole both
in peace and war.
"The alternatives are plain" it
added. EITHER make it possible for
private enterprise to take this nucleus
which we now plan add to it until it
becomes a great and efficient entity
an American merchant marine or re-
fuse the relatively slight amount of
aid necessary therefor and continue at
a great expense the inefficient meth
DDS Of government operation until the
ships are worn out"