Milford chronicle., 1922-03-10
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
AN AMERICAN MERCHANT
MARINE AT LAST

WIFI HIS uduuS AAAPPAA5 "CS anu S1S
front of his clothes soaked from his
head to his feet.
We've been playing ships" ans
wered Jack. Ruth is wetter than l
am and mother made us stop to get
ready for bed. I've built two dandy
boats and have been trying them in
the bath tub. Next summer we can
try them on the river, can't we Uncle
Ted?"
81 guess we can, Jack, but for the
present you'd better get those wet
things off and get into your mighty.
Ruth! Oh, Ruth" called Uncle Ted.
''What is it Uncle Ted" she ans
wered.
"Get those yet clothes off and hur-
ry in here and will tell you new
story about ships"
So it was that our three friends
gathered in Uncle Ted's room for their
story.
"I suppose you kiddies have heard
about President Hardings talk to
Congress on the ship question and
what his plans are to make a mer-
chant marine for the United States
and at the same time do it without
discrimination and at comparative
" small cost. I am going to tell you
some of the details of that plan. For
a long, long time everyone has been
crying for an American Merchants
Marine. During the war we built an
unprecedented number of ships, some
ships that helped win the war, others
that didn't. Much money was wasted
but we cannot go on and on carrying
that expense forever and get any
where. The Republican party in its
lastc ampaign platform pledged the
enactment of law for the upbuilding
of a merchant marine. Our President
has been working on this matter for
ling time with the aid of men who
know this question and he recently
went before Congress and presented a
plan as outlined in bills offered, for
enactment by the Shipping Board. In
few words here is what Mr.. Hard
ing's plan is, just as he stated it:
! "I propose that we shall col
lect all import duties without dis
| elimination as between American
and foreign bottoms, and apply
| the heretofore proposed reduction
to create a fund for the govern
ment's aid to our merchant ma
rine. By such program we shall
encourage not alone the carrying
of inbound cargoes subject to
tariffs, but we shall strengthen
American ships in the carrying of
that greater inbound tonnage on
which no duties are levied, and,
more important than these, we
shall equip our merchant marine
to serve our outbound commerce,
which is the measure of our emil
nence in foreign trade
LET me go into the details of this
plan as far we can tonight. No matter
whether it is peace or war the more
than 1OO,OOO,O0 people of this country
are Vitally interested in the use Of the
seas, and the part the United States
| of America shall take on the seas.
President Harding has made it clear
to me that there is no use trying to
put trade on American ships by bring
ing to an end treaty arrangements
any more than it would be wise to
try to build up merchant marine by
putting higher duties on imports in
foreign vessels. That would be dis
elimination and other foreign coun-
tries could play that game just as well
as we could. Looking at these differ
ent ideas and turning the whole mat
ter over in our minds, we wonder
what in the world can be done that
will help. Our answer is contained in
the Presidents address to Congress.
This plan will allow the importing of
goods into the United States under
uniform rates, no matter what ship
brings them. Then a fund would be
created by taking 10 perce MT of all
these custom receipts, this fund to be
used as government aid to the pri-
vate owners of the ships which will
form our new merchant marine. The
ships that we now own would be sold
at the market price and the books
made clean. It is certain to my mind
that we cannot go on carrying the
terrific burden of expense of hun
dreds of ships now on our hands,
built during the war. But we must
have a merchant marine and the gov
ernment can well afford to pay to keep
it up if for no other reason than to
have it ready in case another war
comes upon us.
"Of course, there are some people
who will say that it would be no saw
ing for the government to subsidize
our shipping and thus pay for keeping
it up. You can easily answer that by
asking them to look up and see what
the emergency feet we built during
the Great War cost us. 1t has been
estimated that the cost Of that feet
would pay for the proposed mainte-
nance plan for 100 years!
'Kiddies, we have too long neglect |
ed our merchant marine and this SEN
sible plan is the solution. We are up |
against it, and we must build up our |
ocean commerce system. In view of |
the unprecedented amounts spent in |
the past few years with little or no re-
suits, what does $3O,OOO,O00 a year
amount to, as proposed by our Presi-
dent, if it means a real merchant ma
rine, ready for peace or for war? A
government owned and operated mer-
chant marine cannot be success any
more than a government. owned and
operated railroad system. AS Presi=
dent Harding said:
"'-I bring you the proposal
which contemplates the return to
private initiative and private en-
terprise aided to conservative
success, where in we are safe
guarded against the promotion of
private greed, and do not discour-
age the hope ofpro ftable invest
ment, which underlies all success
full endeaVor'
Another important point in the
plan, kiddies, is to use the money OBJ
tainad from the sale of the ships now |