Evening star., 1922-09-03
SAYS SHIP SUBSIDY BILL
WILL SOON BECOME LAW
Representative Greene of Massachusetts
Declares Measure Will Insure Success :.
of American Merchant Marine. lAa
BY EDWARD NELSON DINGLEY.

BY EDWARD NELSON DINGLEY.
| Il T will be very happy mo-
ment in my Official life when
the proposed shipping sub
! sidy bill passes both houses
| of Congress and become a Law, as 1
! believe 1t will.' said Representative
1 Greene Of Massachusetts,, chairman
Of the House committee on merchant
| marine and fisheries.
Chairman Greene is one of the
veterans Of the House of Representa- :
tives. He has served since May, 1898,
when he was elected to fill the un-
expired term of his predecessor. and
has seen many men of national repu-
tation enter and pass off the stage
He has witnessed many efforts to re-
vive the American merchant marine,
| and coming from a section of the
state of Massachusetts where ship
ping, and especially whale ships" :"
made many thrilling chapters OF ro-
mantle and tragic history. very natu-
rally he became interested in ship
ping, and In time became chairman
of the House committee on merchant
marine and fisheries.
The story of American shipping.
it's rise and fall. is an open book to
Re talks in nautical terms and can
spin yarns Of the sea and the days
when New Bedford and Cape Cod
were synonymous Of the prowess of
American sailors and the superiority
Of American ships.
Confident Of Passage.
7 am certain We will have a ship
ping subsidy bill made into a law soon
after the November election" says
Chairman Greene. 81 wan to live to
participate in such a crowning achieve
ment, and I shall be proud to have
taken a part in It. We intend to
have every republican member of the
House committee make a speech in
the House in favor of the bill. The
revival of American shipping has
been near my heart for many years"
The program is to have the subsidy
or shipping aid bill. now before
Congress. considered in both houses
and pushed to enactment as soon
after election as possible-perhaps
in an extra session called for that
purpose before the regular session
in December. The President. who
has made the shipping bill one of the
most important features of his ad-
ministration, is anxious to have the
matter disposed of as soon as pos
sible. His first desire was to have
it put through Congress while the
conference committee was consider
ing the tariff, but 1t has been decided
to postpone action until after the
election in November.
Friends of the measure concede
that there is some opposition from
the western members of Congress.
but they claim it will disappear
largely when Congress meets after
the election. 1t Is hoped that be-
tween now and the reassembling of
first of December. members of Con-
gress will talk with their constitu-
ents and convince all wavering ones
that the proposed effort to preserve
and maintain an American merchant
marine is of the highest Importance
to the welfare of the country.
The joint hearings OF the Senate
committee on commerce and the
House committee on merchant ma
rine and fisheries covered the en-
tire question exhaustively. There
was little opposition to the principle
now before Congress aims to encour-
age private capital to purchase and
operate Shipping Board ships. THE
necessity for government aid" says
Chairman Greene, "arises out of the
higher cost of operation of ships un-
der the American flag than under
the flag of any of the principal mari
time nations. Furthermore, such
government aid will enable the Ship
ping Board to dispose of its ships.
In fact, without a definite program
of Government aid it will be impoS-