Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-22

note the mere business problem. the
practical question of dollars and cents
| with which we are confronted.
The war construction and the later
completion which we believed to be the
greater economy to the pubic treas
ury, left us approximately l3.2OO,ooo
gross tonnage in ships. The figures are
I nearer 1850, 900 tons noW, owing TO
| the scrapping of the wooden fleet.
More than half this tonnage is GOV
| eminent owned and approximately
2,25O,0OO tons are under goyernmen n
| oneration in one form or another. The
net loss to the United States treasury
sums actually taken therefrom IN
This government operation-averaged
EapproSimately $4,000, 600 per month
during the year prior to the assumS-
/ ton of responsibility by the present
administration. A constant warfare on
| and enforced economies. 1t is very
gratifying to report the diminution or
the losses to S4,h00,00O per month. or
Ia total Of $4,000 900 a YEAR. but 1t Is
.intelerable that the government should
Ieontinue a. policy from Wnlch SO
fenormousssa treasury loss is the III
Ieyitable outcome. This loss. moreover,
Iamsnds operation Of less than q third
| Oh tut SoStI filth ANN .
Would Lift Treasury Burden
! 1t is not. therefore. a question OF
adding new treasury burdens to mann
tan our shipping; we are paying fof
| these burdens now. 1t is not d question
of contracting an outlay to support our
merchant shipping. because we are
paying already. [ am not asking your
authorization of a new and added draft
-. L. --LI,a %.oan rr / IN nnnnnt1nD
for a program to diminish the burden
we are already bearing.
When yOur executive government
knows of public expenditures aggregat-
ng $50. 900 Annually which It be
lieyes could be reduced by half through
q change of policy, your government
would, be unworthy of public trust ii
such a change We're not commended,
nav, if it were not insistently urged.
And the pity of it is that our pres
ent expenditure in losses is not con
structive. 1t looks to no future attain
ments. 1t is utterly ineffective in the
establishment of a dependable mer-
chant marine. whereas the encourage
ment of private ownership aud the APP
plication of individual initiative would
make for a permanent creation, ready
and answerable at all times to the
needs of the nation.
But | have not properly portrayed
all the. current losses to the public
this year. We are wearing out our
ships without any provision for re
placement. We are having these losses
through deterioration now. and are
charging nothing against our capital
account. But the losses are there and
regrettably larger under government
operation than under private control
Only a few years Of continued losses
on capital account will make these
losses through depreciation alone tG
exceed the 5000 0.009 a year 0
! drawn to cover losses in operation.
Ships BuiIded Poorly
The gloomy picture of losses does
not end even there. Notwithstanding
the known war cost in three billions
Of dollars for the present tonnage, ]
viii not venture to appraise its cast
value today. 1t may as well be con
fessed now as at some later time thai
in the mad rush to build, in establish.
ing shipyards wherever men would
organize TO expend government money
when we made shipbuilders overnight
quite without regard to previous oc.
, equations or pursuits. we builded poor
ly. often very poorly. Moreover. W
construct without any formulated pro
gram for a merchant nErlne. The wa
emergency impelled and the cry was
for ships. any kind Of ships. Tn
error is recalled in regret rather thar
criticism. The point is that u flee
costing approximately three billions, j
worth only a fraction Of that cost to
day. Whatever that fraction may be
the truth remains that we have n
market in which to sell the ships under
our present policy, and a program o
surrender and sacrifice and the liquida
ton which is inevitable unless II,
pending Legislation is sanctioned, which
would cost scores of millions more.
When the question is asked, why thu
insistence for the merchant marine &C
now, the answer is apparent. Walyln:
every consideration which lies in con
Estructive plan for maintaining our fla;
on the high seas, waving the prudence
in safeguarding against another $4,000.
900 madness, if war ever again I'M
pels. we have the unavoidable task O.
wiping our a $5O,OO0,0 900 annual loss il
operation and losses a~ggregating many
hundreds Of millions id worn-out, sac
rificed or strapped shipping. The 81.
preme humiliation, the admission tina
the United States-our America once
eminent among the maritime nations OF
the worlds incapable of asserting il
self in the peace triunphs on the seas
of the world. IT would seem to ms
doubly hnmiliating when we w the
ships and fail in the genius and capacity
to turn their prows toward the marts
of the world.
Failure Would Mean Disaster
This problem cannot longer be ig-
Dored: its attempted solution cannot
longer be postponed. The failure Of
congress to act decisively will be nc
less disastrous than adverse action.
Three courses Of action are posi-
BILE and the choice anon them is DC
longer to be avoided.
The first 81 constructive-enact the
pending bill, under which | firmly be
iIieye an American merchant marine.
privately operated, but serving all the
people and always available TO the gov
ernment in any emergency, may be
established and maintained.
The second is notwithstanding
government operations and attending
government losses and discourage pri-
vate enterprise by government compe-
tition. under which losses are met by
the public treasury, and witness the
continued losses and deterioration until
the colossal failure ends in sheer e K
haustion.
The third il ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS