Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-30

Washington, D. c., Oct. 27.-The
ship subsidy bill, already strenuously
fought over in preliminary skirmishes,
IS to be n of the main subjects be-
fore congress at the next session.
Representative Greene, of Massachu-
setts, author and champion of the bill,
confidently predicts that his measure
will com through the conflict safely,
however, and that the American flag
will once more assume it's old promi-
hence on the high seas.
The shipping question is complicated
and the bill is technical. The situa-
ton briefly is that an American mer-
chant fleet. built at enormous cost i'll
wartime, lies idle in our yards. The
shipping board still has in its charge
1875 ships, of which some 1900 are
inactive. The board would like to sell
all of these ships to pivate firms, re-
cover some of it's investment, and go
quietly out of existence.
America has no large, dependable
| marine to carry its cargoes, and here
are almost LOO ships, the nucleus of
a first class shipping industry. But
private capital is not coming forward
to operate the ships. As matters
stand, a foreign freighter with cheap
European or oriental labor can be
operated SO much more cheaply than
an American ship hat our business
men will not try to compete. The
great, potential American marine re-
mains a troublesome white elephant on
the hands of the shipping board.
American merchant fleet might be ex-
planned here. Chairman Lasker of
the shipping board points out that
while foreign ships have handled our
| trade more or less satisfactorily in the
past, the situation is different now.
| When the United States was a debtor
nation, he told the house committee
on merchant marine, Europe could be
depended upon to furnish us with
ships because the ships would be used
to carry goods to pay off our Euro
pean debts.
Now, we are a creditor nation and
Europe has lost her strongest incea-
tive to allow US the use Of her ships.
Hence, if in an emergency England or
another maritime nation should require
it's merchant fleet for it's own pur-
poses the United States might be left
without that many carriers and its
trade would be badly crippled.
That this did not occur during the
recent war, Mr.. Lasker has explained,
was Tue, to the fact that England
needed supplies which the United
States could provide. With a different
combination of powers and in a diff
ferent situation, the United
| States might find itself seriously en-
barrassed for want of ships.
Should Utilize Our Ships
The feeling that this country should
not put all of it's trust in European
ships is growing. Now that we have
the makings of a marine it is argued
/ that we should not let the ships rot
because circumstances are unfavorable
to American competitors. The result of
this feeling is the Greene subsidy bill.
This bill would subsidize American
ship owners for the next 10 years in
which time they would be expected to
get firmly on their feet Money would
be loaned to them and in return they
would be under contract with the ship
ping board to operate their vessels
along the lines set down in the bill.
Advocates of the bill show that
France has found it advisable to grant
a subsidy to shipping interests and
that Japan has provided for its ship
owners for the coming year.
1t is so long since this country had
a merchant marine of any Importance
that the question is occasionally raised
as to whether Americans are really
suited to sea faring. Perhaps it is not
advisable for us to try TO compete
with sea loving nations, it is sug-
| gested. History shows that through
colonial times and almost up to the