The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-11-23

More than half this tonnage is gov
eminent owned and approximately
2,250,000 tons are under government
operation in one form or another.
The net loss to the United States
treasury-sums actually taken there
from in this government operation
averaged approximately S16,000,O0O
per month during the year prior to
the assumption of responsibility by
the present administration. A con-
slant warfare on this loss of public
funds and the draft to service of cap
able business management and ex-
perienced, operating directors, have
resulted in applied efficiency and en-
forced economics. 1t is very crafty
ing to report the dimunition of the
losses to $4,Oa0,000 per month, or a
total of S50,000,000 a year; but it is
intolerable that the government should
continue apology from which so enor-
nous treasury loss is the inevitable
outcome. This loss, moreover, at
tends operation of less than third
of the government owned fleet.
1t is not therefore, question of
adding new treasury burdens to main
tain our shipping; we are paying
these burdens now. 1t is not ques-
ton of contracting an outlay to sup
port our merchant shipping because
we are paying already. l am not ask
ing your authorization of new and
added draft on the public treasury; l
am appealing for program to dimin
ish the burden we are already bearing.
When your executive government
knows of public expenditures aggre
eating fifty millions annually, which
it believes could be reduced by half.
through change of policy, your gov
eminent would be unworthy of public
trust if such change were not COM
mended made, if it were not insist
emily urged.
And the pity of it is that our pres
ent expenditures in losses is not con-
structive. 1t looks to no future at
tainments; it is utterly ineffective in
the establishment of dependable
merchant marine, whereas the encour-
agement of private ownership and the
application of, individual initiative
would make for a permanent crea-
ton, ready and answerable at all times
to the needs of the nation.
Heavy Loss to the Public.
But I have not properly portrayed
all the current losses to the public
this year. We are wearing out ships
without any provision for replacement.
We are having these losses through
deterioration now, and are charging
nothing against our capital account.
But the losses are there and re-
grettably larger under the government
operation than under private control.
Only few years of continued losses
on capital account will make these
losses through depreciation alone to
exceed the fifty million year now
drawn to cover losses in operation.
The gloomy picture of losses does
not end even there. Notwithstanding
the known war cost in three billion
of dollars for the present tonnage, I
will not venture to appraise its cash
value today. 1t may as we'll be con-
fessed now as at some later time that
in the mad rush to build, in establish
ing ship yards wherever men would
organize to expend government money
when we made ship builders overnight
quite without regard to previous oc-
equations or pursuits, we builded
poorly. Moreover we constructed
without any formulated program for
merchant marine. The war emery
ency impelled and the cry was for
ships, any kind of ships. The error
is recalled in regret rather than cri-
ticism. The point is that our fleet
costing approximately three billions,
is worth only fraction Of that cost
today. Whatever that fraction may be
the truth remains that we have no
market in which to sell the ships un-
der our present policy and program
of surrender and sacrifice and the
liquidation which is inevitable unless
the pending legislation is sanctioned
with cost scores of millions more.
When the question is asked, why
the insistence for the merchant ma
rine act now? The answer is appar-
ent. Waving every inspiration which
lies in constructive plan for main
tanning our flag on the mmercial
highways of the seas, waving the pru-
dence in safeguarding against another
$4,000, 100000 madness if war ever
again impels, we have the unavoidable
task of wiping out a $5O,OO0,00O
annual loss in operation and losses ag-
gregating many hundreds of millions
in worn out, sacrificed, or scrapped
shipping.
"The Supreme Humiliation"
The supreme humiliation, the ad-
mission that the United-our America,
once, eminent among the maritime
nations of the world, is incapable of
asserting itself in the peace triumphs
on the seas of the world. 1t would
seem to me doubly humiliating when
we own the ships and fail in the
genius and capacity to turn their
prows toward the marts of the world.
"This problem cannot longer be ig-
nored, its attempted solution cannot
longer be postponed. The failure of
Congress to act decisively would be no
less disastrous than adverse action.
Three courses of action are posi-
BILE and the choice among them is no
longer to be avoided.
The first is onstructive-enact the
pending bill under which l firmly be-
lieve an American merchant marine,
privately owned and privately oper-
ated, but serving all the people and
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