The Republican journal., 1922-11-23
THE SUBSIDY BILL

On Monday Of this week Congress as
.e-nbled in special session The election
being ever ~e see no reason Why 'ns
members Of the Senate and Of the House
uld not quit talking politics and set
Dawn TO : sensible and businesslIke
,siderztion Of the numerous economic
u.s from which the United States Is sui
feriag.
One Of these is the decsdent condition
Of orr merchant marine md President
Hsroinz's desire Is that Congress shall
Immediately consider and pass Ship
Subsidy Bill which was introduced II
Congress several months ago. and was
referred to the proper committees Tor IN
vestisation. In the hearings held oy Ine
committee two large volumes were hlieo
with testimony taken, most OF which
was in favor OF the Subsidy which, IN
brief, Is bonus given TO owners OF
American vessels 10 aid them in con2et-
Ing with owners Of foreign vessels, who
nav less wages an are pGd o Amen
can crews. This proposed subsidy OF
boaus allows about twenty-five cents
mile TO 5. 900 ton ship, and lesser sub
s;d~ % power vessel Of 1900 tons or over.
or TO sailing vessels Of 1000 tons OF over
when such ships or vessels are engage
In foreign trade, are American owned
and sail under the American flag. Il IS
estimated and believed BY the best aI-
thorities in the shipping interests, that
uItirn steIy, If We are TO have ioieisn
merchant marine equal to that NAM
tained BY Great Britain, the cost OF our
suosidieg will be about $50, 600, COO annu-
slIv. which will be about one-third the
amount saved annually by the reduction
OF our naval force. The issue seems to
be whether the American people want a
permanent merchant marine % are con-
tent 70 LET the one we now have 90 into
decay. We hope there viii De no poll
tics in the consider ltion Of the Shipping
problem.
In this connection il may be well 10
note that from the beginning OF colonial
d.xs down to the advent Of steam nsyi-
ion. and for some time after, Amerl-
merchant ships held their own IN
nd competition. A great many peo-
ple now living in Waldo county can re-
member when the building OF ships On
our own shores, for foreign trade. was
pyofi.s Bile, and those ships competed, Win
no small success, with the ships OF every
nation But soon after the operation OF
.cean steamships was successfully estab-
Hshed Great Britain put in operation
subsidy system, which gave her great
advantage. The effect OF this on our
shipping wasso disastrous that in io45 the
United States Congress enacted sub
sidy law which provided for carrying our
foy@;on mails under contract with the
Post Office Department The steamers
carried also an immense amount oi
American products. In consequence oil
this. in six years our merchant fleet was
practically equal to that of Great Britain,
although her subsidy had been in opera
ton ten years longer than ours had been
A reversal of the policy of subsidizins
our merchant ships was followed by tns
sale of our ships to foreigners and trans
fer from the American flag to that Of
,ome other nation, and cessation oi
construction for several years prior te
the World War. Even as long ago al
during the Spanish War we were COM
pei ed to obtain many foreign ships tt
carry our troops and supplies, and just
before the opening of the World War w
were carrying only about ten per cent Of
our ocean trade in our own ships Today
: after spending hundrds OF millions o.
dolla n for the construction of ships WI
are carrying only twenty-five per cent o.
our foreign commerce in American ships
potwith standing the enormous destruc'
ton Of foreign ships by German subma'
rines. A. an evidence of what ship sub
aides have done for Great Britain w
find that last year the British flag Wal
loatine over more than one third Vt th'
merchant shipping of the world.