The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1922-11-21
ACTUAL SAVING
TO GOVERNMENT
WOULD RESULT
From Enactment of Mer-
chant Marine Law, He
Told Congress in Special
Message To-day - De-
clares Other Nations Are
Opposed To Our Ameri-
can Merchant Marine

Washington, d. G., Nov. 2l.--Enact-
ment Of the administration merchant
marine bill was urged upon Congress
to-day BY President Harding as nee
essary to relieve the government OF
present staggering losses in opera
tion Of the war-built merchant fleet,
and to establish program OF assured
shipping to serve the nation in war
and give guarantee Of commercial in
dependence in time of peace.
Personally addressing a joint ses-
ysion Of the House and Senate, the
executive declared an actual monetary
saving to the government would re-
suit from the proposed law. He chal-
lenged every insinuation Of favored in
terests and the enriching of the special
few at the expense of the public treas
ury. The legislation, he asserted, au-
tomatically guarded against enrich
1nent or perpetual bestowal.
IF success attends, as we hope it
will,' he added, "the government out
lay is returned, the inspiration OF op-
portunity to earn remains, and Amer
lean transportation by sea is main
tained.s
The president said, concern ABOUT
the American merchant marine policy
was not limited ito our own domain
adding that the maritime nations of
the world were in complete accord
with the opposition here to the pend
ing measure"
He declared those nations had a
perfect right to such an attitude, but
that he wished to stress the American
viewpoint which he said should be the
viewpoint "from which one sees Amer
lean carriers at sea, the independence
of American commerce and American
vessels for American reliance in the
event of war"
Mr.. Harding declared it would be
most discouraging if measure OF
"such transcending national import
ance" must have its fate depend on
geographical, occupational, profession
nj or partisan objection. A CONNER
cial eminence on the seas and ample
agencies for the promotion in carry
ing Of American commerce, he assert
cd were of no less Importance to
the people of the Mississippi and the
Missouri valley, the great northwest
and the Rocky mountain states than
to the seaboard states and industrial
communities inland.
'Tt is a common cause, with its ben
efits commonly shared" said he.
II government aid is a fair term to
apply to authorizations aggregating
S75,000,000 to promote good roads for
market highways. the president added,
it is equally fit to be applied to the
establishment and maintenance of
American market highways ON the
"salted seas"
As ito present government opera
tion Of the shipping board fleet, Mr..
Harding said there was the unavoid-
able task OF wiping out fifty mil
lion dollar annual loss and losses ag-
gregating many hundreds of millions"
in worn out, sacrificed or scrapped
shipping. He called attention that the
government ships were being worn
out without any provision for replace
ment and that a program of surrender
and sacrifice and the liquidation which
he declared would be inevitable unless
the proposed legislation were enacted
would cost scores of millions.
The cost of the proposed legislation
giving direct aid, he said, with, ocean
carrying maintained at the present
average would not reach s20,000,0O0 a
year, and If the maximum direct aid
for American shipping were so pro-
NOTED that Il would carry one-half
Of me nations deep sea commerce
would not exceed thirty million an
nually.