The Mankato free press., 1922-08-18
GIVfSSHIPSUBSIDY
PLANSBIGBACkING.
VIEWS OF r. H. FAXoN ON
y. THIS QUESTION 49,
URGING ITS PASSAGE
Secretary of Mississippi Valley
Association Speaks For
the Measure 80

Explaining the work of the Mis-
sissippi Valley association in respect
TO some important work affecting the
economico of the upper valley, and
particular the establishment OF the
merchant marine through the pass
age of the pending ship subsidy bill,
R.-H. Faxon, secretary of the asso-
citation, spent several hours in Man
kato late yesterday afternoon.
He called on his old friend Sec
retary W. E. Olson of the Civic and
Commerce association. ON The Free
Press, and on several business
houses and citizens generally.
This is a time when any sub
iect of economic worthiness should
be discussed to the fullest extent"
said Mr.. Faxon. The program OF
the Mississippi Valley association
includes such program items as for
eign trade, inland waterways i'm
provement, the Great Lakes Saint
Lawrence project, equalization or
rates in;the valley, protection OF the
general structure Of fair freight
rates north and south. development
'of.the.South ports of the. valley, and
the campaign against Pittsburg- plus
as an abhorrent economic process.
But -justrnow. the association is
lma5oring strongly on the merchant
marine. This is supplement to our
TRANSPORTATION effort. 1t. continues
the orderly marketing OF our upper
valley agricultural production: 1t
lcoutinues the carrying process into
sfhe markets Of the world: it stabil-
fxes our markets: ): II. takes the gov
;ernment out. Of the ship operating
business and puts the merchant feet
Into the hands OF men VINO know
how TO run them: it salvages the
war ship construction bill TO some
extent, allowing the government to
get part of its money back, at least;
and il preserves intact our trade
routes and our competitive shipping
in the valley ports to the south. 1t
is not without its. aid-and pow
ierful aid, TOTO the Great Lakes
Saint Lawrence, project.
What Shop Subsidy Means.
'The subsidy bill will permit the
payment by the government, as an
announcement and equalization of
conditions imposed by the seaman's
act. of from one half to two and six
tenths cents per ton per hundred
miles, speed and distance considered.
It is not a graft, as some unthinking
persons have called it Il is an in
surance policy for the future trade
and commeree of this great produc
ing upper Mississippi valley. 1t is
putting a bet on the future import
ance and tremendous economic ad
vantage of this section.
The eight states OF Wisconsin,
Minnesota, the D5kotas, Kansas, Ne
braska. Iowa and Missouri, last year
produced more than 20 per cent OF
all the farm products Of the coun
try. They produced more than 30
per cent of al the livestock products
of the country. The total volume
was more than 3 billions of dollars.
II is idle to say that the farmer,
with this great production at stake.
and with the natural and normal
surplusage over domstic consump-
ment like the merchant marine.
through the shipping bill, that will
make orderly and stabilized all his
processes from production to ul1-
mate market
Farmers are Interested.
farmers are taking keen interest
IN this economic and commercial
question: I have found this out in
trips through all the upper valley
states. found 1t especially in
South Dakota where the temper of
o FL0S p6Ople Is F6TyfSWCCi d1u>pdAIeuI,
where crops are 3good where there
is clear and clean thinking, and the
Hvest interest in such questions
as the ship subsidy bin that will
help put an insurance policy for the
future into effect
I'VE built billions of dollars of
ships during and after war. More
than 2h billions OF dollars of them
are ,serviceable There were 26e0 in
all. Six hundred, of them are now
IN use. Fully as many more should
be. and could be The government
now'is paying subsidy of more than
fifty millions Sof dollars annually in
Shipping Board deficit What we
hope to do is to trade this indirect
subsidy for a. direct one; to save
twenty millions annually. for the
maximum of subsidy will be but
thirty millions; get the government
some money for its ships; get it out
of business, for the governent can
not run the ship business success
fully; get the ships on the seas i;
stimulate foreign trade; do our own
carrying independent Of Great Brit
ain and Japan; and be sure that our
economic interests in the Mississippi
valley are kent intact while we con-
tribute to the establishment of a
fine national policy about which we
have been talking for half cen