The Washington times., 1922-07-10
HUGE LOSS
IS SEEN #
ACT LOSES
Jones Asserts Billions Now In
vested In Sea FIest Will Be
Lost Unless Aid Is Given.
BY WESLEY l.. JONES.

BY WESLEY L. JONES.
omitted States Senator From Washington
Written Expressly for Universal Service
There Ia nothing we need more
than an adequate merchant ma
rine. We need it as an aid to
eur commerce and as a means of
national defense. The need is
great and the difficulties are
greater. Foreign shipping in
terests are most strongly en-
trenched in the worlds trade,
business and commerce.
Against U. s. Shipping Force.
Those interests will do all in their
power TO prevent US from taking our
rishtfuI place upon the sea.
When the war began we had no
merchant marine in the foreign trade;
under the needs Of war we have
built large tonnage, but ships tied
up and wasting at the docks do not
make a merchant marine. They
must be plowing the seas, carrying
our products to the markets of the
world and bringing goods to us, fur
nishing investments for our capital
ana work for our toilers.
These ships should be manned by
American sean1en and owned by
American capital. How can this be
brought about in the face OF the op.
position of our trade competitors.
aided, az they are. by all the re,
sources Of their governments and the
hearty and earnest support Of their
people and business organizations?
Our foreign trade is a large ele.
ment In our prosperity. II 1t sx'
pands, agriculture and manufactur'
Ing prosper; II it shrinks. domestic
industry languishes. Our products
largely in ships. These will be for.
will we have; upon which will we
depend? This is the question we
seek to solve Nv the shipping Lill
now pending. II there is an Ameri
can who does not want our products
carried in American ships. such
American. will oppose this bill. il
there such an American?
Knockers Are Knocked.
II there are Americans who do
want our products carried in Anneri
can ship, are they willing to do what
may be necessary to maintain such
ships in competition with foreign
ships?
The shipping bill now pending is
the result OF much study based upon
actual experience, and is what this
Administration believes is necessary
TO establish and maintain our mer-
chant marine.
The man who criticizes without
proposing something more construc.
tive is making 1t all the more diff
cult to solve this great problem. 1t
II easy to tear down; II is far more
creditable to construct, and ! want
to urge that those who cannot offer
something constructive do not try to
tear up and destroy what some of US
are trying earnestly to do-to give
the American people a permanent
merchant marine.
Three billions Of dollars Of the peo.
pies money are in ships. BY the ex-
penditure Of a few millions more a
year and by the other encouragement
and aid given in the bill, our ships
can be sold at far better price than
they will bring now and be put in the
WOTlO ylnS IL lHSy COn-
tinue tied up at the docks their de.
probation will be far greater each
year than the amount Of money we
propose to spend TO put them in
trade, and we have nothing to show
for it except idle and wasting ships.
The bill is simply a business pro-
posal to do a great thing for Ameri-
can trade and to save hundreds Of
millions Of dollars out of a great war
investment.
Secs Huge Investment Lost.
II nothing is done now our great
var investment is gone. our ships
will rot or pass into the hands Of our
world competitors, and we will take
the humiliatins and dependent posi-.
ton in the worlds carrying trade
which we held when the war broke
out Because we had no shipping
then, freight rates scared and
farmer, merchant and manufacturer
paid out hundreds Of millions OF dol.
lars more than they would have had
to pay II we had had an adequate
marine.