The New York herald., 1922-10-27
EFFORT TO DISCREDIT
SUBSIDY DENOUNCED
Plummer of Shipping Board
- Berates Foreign Interests
for Opposition.

Commissioner L. c. Plumner OF the
Shipping Board. at a session yester-
day of the convention of the American
Manufacturers Export Association held
in the Waldorf-Astoria, denounced
what he called the concerted effort OF
foreign shipowners. newspapers and
periodicals TO discredit the Admins
tration's plan to foster the American
merchant marine through the ship
subsidy bill now before Congress.
After listening to the addresses at the
various sessions the meeting adopted
and recommended to the Board OF
Directors as the sense OF the meeting
the following resolution: Resolved.
that we approve the constructive policy
OF President Harding on the subject OF
the American merchant marine, and
that we pledge ourselves 10 devote our
best energies TO securing action along
The progressive lines advocated by the
President at the coming session of Con-
gress- Be IL further
Resolved. That the secretary OF the
association transmit this declaration TO
rhe President OF the United states and
TO all the Senator'S and Representatives.
Speedy enactment of the legislation
was urged by Mr.. Plummer. and also
session, Representative George w. Ed
Inonds, who helped draft the bill, and
Winthrop L. Marvin, vice-president
and general manager of the American
steamship Owners Association. Homer
L. Ferguson. president of the Newport
News Shipbuilding Company. presided.
For fifty years our foreign competi-
tors" Mr. Plummer declared. have
successfully warred against every at
n a N A America n, y,1arcba a nj
marine by merely following the Napo-
leonio rule of divide and conquer
They are pursuing these Same tactics
to-day; and since 1t is only necessary
TO give the present bill n fair reading
10 become convinced of its fundamen-
tai soundness. l propose at this time
TO deal largely with these foreign
clubs which certain people in this
country-as well as those whose inter-
ests are admittedly beyond the oceans
have been throwing at this particular
tree OF shipping legislation"
Sir Frederick Quoted.
Mr.. Plummer then introduced printed
statements by. Sir Frederick Lewis.
president OF the Chamber OF Shipping
Of the United Kingdom. to the effect
that there was not British propaganda
against the American merchant marine,
buI On TIC ISIltlsu SUlpp4HS
has all along been prepared to well
come the American merchant marine
and TO proceed along lines of friendly
cooperation. The only true basis OF
international shipping is that the ves-
sci that can carry the goods most
cheaply, without any artificial restric-
tions or incentives. shall do the trade"
Mr.. Plummer's comment on this was
sS follows:
-t..s-s
members of the Liverpool conference,
which refused to permit American ves-
sells to carry a pound of that Egyptian
cotton which Americans had purchased
there. though the rate offered By the
American vessels was fifteen shillings
less than the price demanded by those
foreign ships: and they only permitted
Americans to share In that carrying of
American owned goods when the Ship
ping Board produced the big stick which
Congress so wisely had put into its
hands"
Mr.. Plummer also placed against Sir
Trederick's statement a number of eN-
cerpts from British publications, which
showed the determination. he said. to do
everything possible TO prevent the pas
sage of the subsidy bill.
The great benefit to be expected from
the proposed aid to shipping. in Mr..
Plrmmer's opinion, was better transpor-
tation for American products. and this.
he said. would be felt in all lines OF
business. He also stressed the value OF
a strong merchant marine in the event
OF war. and said that without the help
OF the Government American vessels
could not remain longer In competition
with their strongly intrenched foreign
rivals
No Apology in Order.
Mr.. Marvin. summing up his analysis
OF the bill and the reasons for passing
II, put his thought this way:
mo man need apolosIze any more for
advocating a policy OF subsidy TO ship
ping than for advocating tho gold stand
ard of value. Both a,e 'he approved
policies OF the soundest governments OF
the world. What The Urted States now
proposes is in principl. IL not in detail.
what all other nation have been doing
and what the United ,-tates. in fact did
with brillian success f>r q decade before
the civil war. Seventy years ago. thanks
10 a national mall srbs!dy policy. the
Stars and Stripes fleH surrenie In the
North Atlantic over steamships that had
no rivals in beauty. sped and strength" q"
Mr. Edmonds said sre subsidy was
needed for a time 10 overcome the higher
costs of operation faced by American
shirowners, but once they were well
established 1t would No longer be neces-
~ary. He pointed 5ut TIE bill would take
the Government out of sh'p operation,
saving money there while the total
yearly cost of the subsidy would not
equal the cost of building one battle
ship.
Sentiment in the middle West. said Mr..
Fdmonds, was sgains. "A subsidy. al
1. 4
ceived subsidies In the form of land
grants, river Improvements ard better
roads. Aid 10 American shipping, he de-
clared. was merely TIC logical end oi
the effort to widan thu market for tho
farmers products.