Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1922-12-05
THE GOVERNMENT AND
THE SUBSIDY BILL

Dropping partisan politics out of
the question the matter of paying
private individuals or private corpo-
rations an extra premium for the
tonnage they may handle on Amerl-
can boats is tacit admission Of the
lack of ability for business shown by
shipping concerns, and America
should feel ashamed of the proceed
ing.
The plea made by President Hard
ing and echoed by all who made argu-
ments in favor Of the proposition was
that it would be impossible for
American ship owners, even though
they had secured all the bottoms that
could be used at less than one-tenth
the cost of production, to compete
with foreign vessels in the transpor-
tation. to compete with foreign yes
sells in the transportation of freights
which originated in this country;
that laws had been enacted which set
the standard of American boats above
those of all other nations; and that
unless the government stepped in
and paid a share of the overhead
all American vessels would be wiped
off the waters.
One of the acquisitions Of the new
law cannot be considered unjust, al
though it may lead to differences
which will be settled with difficulty.
That rule is that one-half the immi-
grants coming to this country must
be brought in American ships. This
could have been made to include "all''
lust as we'll as one-half; at the same
time there should have been proviso
that no undue appreciation of rates
of passenger traffic should be made.
Even that point might have been
waived-as there are altogether too
many coming, anyway.
The unpleasant thing about the
proposition is that this nation is adj
hitting that it cannot compete with
other nations sailing the seas, and
that the people must pay the rebates
the shipping companies are to receive
from the federal government. 1t
shouldn OF be necessary that certain
per cent of Americans must man the
boats any more than that in the cree
ton of a building of any sort there
shall be only men of one faith or ma
tionality employed. The great plants
of America have thousands of EN-
ployes who cannot understand one
word of the American language-yet
there is no law establishing nation
atty zone for such establishments
and corporations that have purchased
ships at marked down" prices ought
to have the right to secure such help
as may be desired without let or him
drance.
This country has made the admis-
sion to all nations that its business
men have not sufficient tact or bust
ness ability to conduct an undertake
ing in competition with the balance
of the world; and the situation is a
sorry one. 1t would have been far
better for the government to have re-
tanned ownership of the vessels ano
conducted as a nation the business OF
shipping. Had its conclusions beer
of that nature there would have beer
plenty of corporations willing to have
very soon taken the business off the
hands of the operators on the same
basis. AS it is there is opening the
greatest field for graft and whole
sale theft this country has ever seen;
and the government will soon have to
declare an "open season" for ship
swindlers and ocean octopi.
The ship subsidy bill will be prov
en- a horrible financial fizzle.