The Washington times., 1922-06-13

rs lutely necessary
E<z ~ TO take vigorous
5< measures on be-
N(41 half of American
wrvIrAM tsARn shipping is this:
Without such
measures n seems extremely un.
likely that we shall get the special
sorts Of merchant ship yards ana the
special sorts of merchant ships which
our navy will desperately need 10
have behind II and with II In case OF
an American war at sea-
BY an American war at sea i mean
q war In which the United States had
to rely on it's own sea resources ana
could not shelter itself behind the sea
resources of Great Britain.
It Is sometime said that in the
late war we saved Great Britain. Let
us never forget that would be truer
to say that In the late war Great
Britain saved US. Germany attacked
our merchant ships. We therefore
were Obliged to stop those attacks
by going and giving Germany
knock-ou on the soil Of Europe. But
the manifest fact is-and history VIII
laugh US to death II we ever forget
the manifest fact is--that we never
could have reached the soil OF Eu-
rope without the protection and the
assistance given us by that mavelous
combination Of cargo ships, pass
enger ships and fighting ships which
constitutes the reality Of the British
fleet.
The testimony now taken on the
ship subsidy bill has extended TO
2,2S6 pages. The country may rest
assured that no snap Judgment 10 60
ing to be taken on this subject by
Congress. Whether the Judgment IL
favorable to ship subsidy or adverse
to II, we may confidently say that
ample material on which to base II
has been provided. There has been
no concealment. There has been full
disclosure. The enemies Of ship SUD-
sidy have had their say and have
presented their arguments and their
facts fully and strongly, What has
been shown?
II has been shown that the Amer
lean merchant marine, as II now
exists, is extremely deficient in GER
tain types Of vessels-such as big
fast passenger ships-which are
most vital to the transport OF troops
and also of materials in overseas
warfare. It has been shown beyond
controversy that our merchant ma
rine is precisely what Mr.. Iasker
said 1t was, namely, an unbalanced
merchant, marine, excessively over
equipped with certain types OF ships
and dangerously under equipped with
certain other types; and It happens
that the types which II especially
lacls are precisely the types which
In war It would especially need.
Therefore, we face the unavoidable
necessity Of much new building OF
merchant ships IL we wish q mer'
chant marine really competently ef'
fective.
But we cannot build these new
merchant ships in our American
shipyards at prices which will send
them out into the competition OF
the worlds carrying trade on an
equality with the merchant ships
built in foreign shipyards. Our
initial cost Of ships 10 higher than
the foreign cost. That is the es-
sential point which has been pinned
down firmly by the ship subsidy
testimony now existing in the re-
ports lying behind the present ship
subsidy hill. Our big handicap in
shipping is our initial building cost.
This handicap might not seriously
affect our ship owners who may
buy ships now from our Shipping
Board at present world prices. But
II does and win most critically af-
feet all our ship owners who may
now 60 in for building the new
ships Of the types which we must
somehow create and operate II our
merchant feet is to be q fleet
wisely and securely rounded out.
Andrew Furuseth, on behalf OF
the seamen's union, was able TO
show that American seamen. In
numerous cases, do not get wages
90 very much higher than those Of
British seamen, and he claimed
that in some cases they got wages
which brought our payroll on Ger.
tain American ships down actually
below the level of the payroll on
certain British ships. He admitted
that the officers on American ships
as contrasted with the seamen
were moro highly paid than British
officers. His contention in general
however, was that the cost or oper'
alton for American ships was only
slightly, II at all, above the cost
Of operation for British ships. =.
Letting his argument stand ir
full, there remains the great fact OF
the greater initial cost of American
ships; and there remains in practicS
the horrible illustration right nov
furnished to us by the case Of the
Oceanic Steamship Company Of Sar
Francisco. This company gets q
postal subsidy Of about two dollars
q mile on It's trips to Samoa and
Australia. II is about to 10 out
Of business because that subsidy ID
not enough; and Mr., Furuseth him
self n willing to see that subsidy
increased. It viii have to be In
creased to some seven hundred
thousand doliars q year. The whole
total cost OF the direct aid to oui
whole American merchant marine
under the present subsidy bill will
be only about thirty-fivs miiiior
dollars q year. The two prime
features OF the bili are this direct