The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1922-11-23
President Harding N~1,es Address at
Join, ,ss.,ss, o... ~ OF House and Senate
Ship Subsidy Measure
Estimated Yearly Cost
is S20,0O0,OOO

Washington, Nov. 21.-Enactment
Of the administration merchant ma
rine bill was urged upon Congress
today by President Harding az
necessary to relieve the government
Of present Staggering losses" in
operation of the war-built merchant
fleet, and to establish program of
assured shipping to serve the nation
in war and give guaranty of com
mercial independence in time of
peace.
Personally addressing "a joint
session of the house and senate,
the executive declared an actual
monetary saving 70 the government
would result from the proposed law.
He challenged every insinuation of
favored interests and the enriching
Of the special few at the expense of
the public treasury. The legislation,
he asserted, automatically guarded
against enrichment or perpetual
osstowal.
"If success attend, as we hope it
will,' ne added, 4'the government out
lay is returned, the inspiration Of
opportunity to earn remains and
American transportation by sea is
maintained"
The president said concern about
the American merchant marine poll
cy was not limited to our own do
main," adding that the maritime ma
tions of the world "were in complete
accord with the opposition here to
the pending measures" He declared
these nations had a perfect right to
such an attitude, but that he wished
to stress the American viewpoint,
which he said should be the view
point "from which one sees Ameri-
can carriers at sea, the dependence
of American commerce and Ameri-
can vessels for American reliance in
the event of war"
Mr.. Harding declared it would be :
most discouraging if a measure Of
""sueh transcending national impor-
tanceA As.nust have its fste depend on
geogN al, occypatfonal, profess
sional artisa1 objection. A COM
mercial N,iYence on the seas and
ample agencies for the promotion in
carrying Of American commerce, he
asserted, were of no less importance
to the people Of the Mississippi and
the Missouri valley, the great North
west and the Rocky Mountain states
than to the seaboard states and in
dustrial communities inland.
ut is common cause, with its
benefits commonly shared" said he.
If government aid is fair term
to apply to authorizations aggrega-
ting S75,000,000 to promote good
roads for market highways, the
president added, it is equally fit to
be applied to the establishment and
maintenance of American market
on the "salted seas"
AS to present government opera
tion of the shipping board fleet, Mr..
Harding said there was the un-
avoidable task of wiping out fifty
million dollar annual loss and losses
"many hundreds of
millions" in worn out, sacrificed or
scrapped shipping. He called atten-
ton that the government ships were
being worn out without any provision
for replacement and that a program
of surrender and sacrifice and the
liquidation which he declared would
be inevitable unless the proposed
legislation We're. enacted would cost
scores of millions. The cost of the
proposed legislation giving direct
aid, he said, with ocean carrying
maintained at the present average
would not reach $20,OOO,O0O a year,
and the maximum direct aid if
American shipping were so promoted
that it carried one-half the nations
1eep sea commerce would not ex-
iced thirty millions annually.