The New York herald., 1922-12-10
SENATE COMMITTEE
| REPORTS SHIP BILL
Jones Says He Will Call Up
Measure Monday-Minority
to Fight.
SEVERAL AMENDMENTS
McNary, Oregon Republican,
to Oppose Subsidy Unless
Changes Are Made.

Special Dispatch to THE NHw YonK HnaALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington. ID. c.. Dec. D. +
With the filing in the Senate to-day
Of both the majority and minority re-
ports from the Senate Commerce
Committee on the ship subsidy bill.
the way was paved for a real battle
on the measure, beginning Monday
Senator Jones (wash.) filed the ma
jority report. which was. in fact the
House report, with amendments and
changes made by the Senate commit
tee as outlined in THE NEW YORK HER
AID to-day. He told Senator Under
wood (Ala.), minority leader, that he
expected to call up the subsidy bill
for consideration Monday.
Eleven Senators signed the majority
report, including one Democrat, Senator
Ransdell (La). The solid Republican
membership, including Senator McNary
(Ore), approved the report. The other
five Democrats on the committee signed
the minority report. Just after Senator
Jones had made his report senator
McNary offered series OF amendments
proposed by the Portland (Ore.). Cham
ber OF Commerce. If they arc not ac-
cepted by the Senate he will oppose the
bill. They were offered in tho commit
tee but were not acted upon.
The minority report was submitted py
Senator Fletcher tfrfa.). 1t clearly In
dicates that the opposition intends to
wage relentless war against the measure.
ANY attempt" says tho report. Ito
modify, amend or substitute means
compromise and more or less recognition
OF the principle involved, and therefore
would be inadequate and unsatisfactory"
After outlining a series Of objections
to the proposed bill and deploring the
heavy loss of Government operations OF
the ships through the Shipping Board.
the minority report says:
you can stop this loss Immediately
by turning all the ships over to the
highly successful Government owned and
Government operated line, the Panama
Steamship Company, or both that COM
pany and the only other Government
owned and operated line. the United
States Lines, or else care for and operate
them directly. properly and efficiently as
conditions require. Not only would the
loss be stopped but the ships would be
operated at q profit, as are the ships
now operated by these two Government
steamship companies"
Chairman Jones issued q statement
saying the minority report was mas.
of contradictions.
"In one breath It Is stated that the
bill is put forward simply because OF 9
temporary situation. which happens tt
be a period Of intense depression. while
| the opening sentence of the report is .
declaration that This Is proposal Il
enact law adopting permanent polio,
of the Government which has been re
peatedly postponed heretofore and a!
cften rejected by Congress-
1.-THE statements are contradictory, bu
one Is correct. Several efforts have beer
made to extend Government aid to oul
| shipping, as has been done in other coun
tries, but they have failed. with the re
suit that when our greatest need fol
ships came we did not have them, and ir
saving a few millions In Government
aid we brought upon this and succeed
ing generations tax burden Of billion;
| of dollars.
'Tf long ago we had followed the lead
of our commercial rivals we would have
had a merchant marine as an auxiliary
to our navy. as an assurance of peace
and as a means Of developing our for
eign trade to an extent undreamed Of
and we would have been spared the ex.
cessive cost of attempting to get fleet
together In war time. when we broke
all shipbuilding records from every
standpoint, and yet at a cost Of three
billions, not millions, of dollars sue
ceeded in getting six ships completed In
time to carry our boys overseas to
France before the armistice."
He denied that the proposed bill meant
charged in the minority report.
I'VE need the Shipping Board" he
added. "as a permanent agency to con-
troll and regulate our shipping, to inves-
tigate and study its problems and recon-
mend to Congress from time to time
WHAT'S needed to maintain our mer-
chant marine