Evening journal., 1922-04-14
1AsKER EXPLAINS MARINE BILL.

! CHAIRMAN LAsKER. OF the United States Ship
~ ping Board set Representative Davis Democrat)
OF Tennessee back on launches the hearings
the ship aid bill opened The Representa-
from Tennessee began bis nre OF questioning in
manner which indicated a gross lack of decorum. and
me was evidently prepared to ride rough shod the
chairman but the latter quickly retorted; DO you
want information about the merchant marine or is
this a criminal tria1" MT Davis subsidized.
Lasker said II expected there would be bal
anced merchant marine Of 100000 deadweght tons
under the American flag II Congress should pass the
subsidy legislation He referred the proposal to APP
proprlate per OF the revenues derived from
customs duties to the payment Of subsidies This he
estimated would from 900 to ss4Ooo.ooe
but that ssOOoOO the total expected for 1898
In the opinion tariff Students this estimate is too
low.
This would be on the basis of ad valorem
duty on all imports something like 10 cent But
the Republican protective bill pending will
carry higher average ad vaiorem than that
The Payne law Of 1909 averaged is cent. during
tho last year OF operation and that about
81 soc. ooO, 900 worth OF imports,
The growth trade since that time indicates that
under the pending Fordney-McCumber bill imports will
total annually and certainly the average
ad vaorem duty will be less under the rend
ing measure than It under the Payne law This
would mean customs duties totaling $5OOOoo,Oeo an
nuaiiy at least 10 per cent. of this devoted
to shipping aid would mean s50oOO.000.
In addition to this the shipping bill proposes TO
set aside for the ship the port and light charges
which amounted TO s2oooOoe last year but which
under the legislation proposed would be doubled plus
all the money now paid TO the ships b. the Post ONCE
Department for the transportation OF ocean malls
In 1891 according the testimony brought out in
the hearings over $4,000 900 paid by the depart
ment for the movement OF ocean malls and American
ships would insure the bulk OF that for the ship
fund
Another source would be that expenditure OF money
which has hitherto been devoted army transport
work estimated at s5O0ooOo gross from the War De-
Ipartment.
The bill provides that privately owned ships shall
handle this transport business These items would
account for an estimated seBOooOOo be devoted to
the shin aid fund considerably less than the
sums carried in the Democratic pork barrels" and
IL will nail the stars and Stripes the masthead OF
American merchant marine.
.svrho can be so blind a that Europe will
very properly in her interest hnd the way and
means to ships when we need them most II
that refusal spells control OF markets in which
would compete with her for mastery" exclaimed Chair
man Iasker "vvho supposes that foreign government
win not be sufficiently ingenious to work out plans &c
control their own ships benefit their national trade
and to our disadvantage II by doing they brni
into their national possibly lesser freight
than we would pay2"
Chairman Lasker referred to the Great Lakes-St
waterway project and said the farmers OF ou
eighteen chief agricultural States making demand
for an affirmative response that the be brough
nearer to them by construction Of this waterway