New Britain herald., 1922-07-25

| tage' These people claim to want an adequate American merchant marine American owned and American op- erated-for the benefit of American commerce and American industry, and yet the first essential to such n merchant marine is ships, which they complain of as a costly heritage
 "lf we could only get rid of the ships. the Shipping Board would be relieved of annoyance and the friends of this measure would be happy, Their main purpose would be accom- plished
 T must confess to being glad we have the ships, and value them as a distinct asset which I would not | like to see dissipated and wasted, want to see them taken care Of and properly employed, They constitute the first essential requirement to merchant marine, and instead Of giy- l ing them away or sinking them, or paying people 10 relieve us of them. I would put them in service and oper- ate them as our needs demand and our interests call for until such time
 
 keep them under our flag. who will take pride in their eountry's status on the seas, who understand the business they would engage in. and who will see that they render the service the people of this country are entitled to have and must have
 The nation is cumbered by great fleet of merchant vessels they say. II is like saying to man wanting to open bank he is cum bered by capital, or to a merchant who would like to engage in foreign trade he is cumbered by goods or other assets" ..r .".
 Fault of shipping Board.
 Tn failure of the nations mer- chant marine fleet to operate sue cessfully and economically is the fault of the present Shipping Board, Sen ator Fletcher declared.
 If the chairman of the board. in- stead of furnishing arguments to congressman and spending money on a publicity campaign to persuade the voters of the country to favor this bill, would spend his time and devote his energies to persuade Amer ican ship owners that they ought to patronize their own shipyards; and American merchants that they ought to give their business to American ships; and American bankers that they ought to encourage American shipping, that would be much more helpful in establishing an American merchant marine"
 Senator Fletcher declared that the Shipping Board under Chairman Lasker's auspices had become the notorious resort of political place hunters, and has been used to dis gusting and scandalous extent as a political machine In the same breath with deprecations of the big American fleet under his control and pleas for its sale or donation to pri- vate interests, Chairman Lasker Is seeking to enlarge the powers and expenditures of the Shipping Board Senator Fletcher showed
 Philip Manson practical author ity on the subject of shipping, has testified that the ship subsidies advo- cated by President Harding and Chairman Lasker would be utterly futile in creating merchant marine
 In testimony given before the sen- ate committee on commerce, MT. Manson said
 II say to you that the only thing subsidies will do will be to transfer from the public treasury to the pockets of a few favored steamship men, some of whom have appeared before the committee, large sums of taxpayers money, and. what is worse, 1t will perpetuate the graft and in- competence which is now the real reason for our failure to have an American merchant marine"
 Subsidies Costly.
 Payment of subsidies to private corporations for operating ships would commit the taxpayers to al costly program of indefinite con- tinuance, Senator Fletcher said. He dissented from the views of Pres- dent Harding and Chairman Lasker, who propose subventions as the only sure means of upbuilding an Amer ican merchant marine.
 The vision of a merchant marine coming out of this bill is a deceptive mirage Senator Fletcher said. Tt is false light. It means vreckage. The end will be what the Shipping Board apparently would enjoy as they sit in their offices and draw their salaries, relieved of the burden of these ships beholding the American merchant marine on their walls, painted ships on a painted ocean ,"
 Edward N. Hurley, former chair man of the Shipping Board; James A. Farrell, president of the Foreign Trade Council; the American Feder- atlon of Labor, many commercial | bodies and various operators of ships are among the individuals and or ganizations that are opposing Presi- |