Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1922-07-21
PROVIDES FOR BIG STEAL.

| NlhS lS quit ~ tllS
country to sound sentiment on the
pending Ship Subsidy Bill. Unior-
! tunat"ly, he will not tell certain
facts about the effort of this bill
he is so intensely for the measure
that he will sing its praises, with
none present to state to the audi
cncc tine following truths which the
people are entitled to know.
The bill proposes to turn over to
the shipping trust $4,000. 200 600
worth OF fine steel ships built by
the government, the most modern
fleet in the world. most of them oil
burners. The people OF the United
States own these ships. The bill
proposes to sell them to this group
of capitalists for $4,000, 600, or
onc-ii;tccnth of their cost.
The bill also proposes to lend
these men Sl23 100000 to rccondi-
ton the ships. If they had been
properly cared for during the
| Harding administration this would
not be needed.
The bill provides for the pay
mcnt of subsidy of S750,00O, 900
TO the capitalists in the next ten
years for using this great grab OF
ships Tor their own private gain.
During three recent years the At
lantic Gulf and West Indies Steam
ship Company made a clear profit
OF 100 per cent on its shipping bus
mess without subsidy; the pub
llshcd reports of the company show
this, and it is merely used here as an
example because it is one of the
largest of American companies.
During the war some ships earned
their entire cost in one trip. There
is no reason why any of them
should fail to be self-supporting at
any time.
This subsidy will be paid even
10 the ships Of the Standard Oil
Company and the Steel Corporation
for transporting their own products
in their own ships for their own
profit. Is it any wonder they are
all for Harding? And the passage
of this bill greatly increased the list
of calling places for the campaign
fund collectors OF the Republican
party when Mr.. Harding comes up
for reelection. Is it any wonder,
therefore, that Warren is for the
bill?
Under this bill the army and navy
transports will be abolished-sold
for junk at A great loss-and the
buineSs turned over to the trust,
when we already have the ships,
built and paid for-not only the
transports, but the merchant fleet
in our own possession. Is there a
business man in the country who
would make such deal?
The bill does not require any re-
ports TO be made 10 Congress and
no accounting as to earnings of
these ships. Thus the people will
never know how badly the Rcpub-
llcan party sold them out.
The bill eNempts the shipping
trust from the payment of all Fed
eral taxes, providing the amount is
set aside for the building of new
Ships-and all the time the party is
claiming that too many ships are
already built for the business being
donc-undcr a Republican admins
tration.
The bill maken no provision for
regulation Of freight rates on the
wafer and creates a gigntic combin-
alton which can make rates as
high as it chooses and leave the
shippers helpless. Whether they
will make the rates high can be de-
termincd by barking back to the
open robbery of the war rates.
In the Committee hearing practi-
cal steamship men admitted that the
wages of our Scamcn do not hurt
the Amcricn steamship in COMPETE
ton with European vessels. Their
testimony showed that the differ
cncc III their wages does not en-
cccd two per cent. John E.. Scaecr,
Jr. vicc-prcSidcnt of the Scagcr
Steamship Company, admitted in
the hearings that there is no reason
why American ships cannot com
pete with The world under present
conditions: his and other compan.
les ar" doing it The only difficulty
ne saw was that some of the Amcri-
cnn companies paid very large sal
aries to unnecessary executives,
some of them as high as 500, OOO
per year. greater than tina of Prcsi-
dent Harding.
The bill provides for the Ship,
pingBoard to nike subsidy contracts
with the shipping trust covering
periods of ten years-this to pre-
vent an effective repeal of the law
for its repeal by a new Congress
would not stop the robbery of the
peoples treasury. The bill even
fixes It so that this fund is not de-