Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-04-15
Merchant Marine Problem Like
Man Holding a Hot Potato

The world learned what to expect
when the rights OF America are
trampled upon and the conscience of
Americans IL thoroughly aroused.
When the war was over Congress
sought to solve the problem that the
law. known better. perhaps. as the
merchant marine act of 1920. This
did not contemplate q plan OF per-
manent operation. but purposed the
establishment of, strategic and essen
were established and now are in
operation from all principal ports on
the Atlantic seaboard, the Gulf OF
Mexico and, the Pacific coast. Some
400 vessels, passenger. cargo and
over them. The loss to the govern
ment is something like $40,000.000 a
year, but the government properly
hesitates about discoutinuing oper-
alton, closing the trade routes, losing
the trade that the fleet holds and dis
Proponents of the ship subsidy bill,
which went down in the Senate fill
buster which marked the wind-up OF
the last session of the Congress, in
sisted that the direct aids which the
bill carried would cost the govern
ment only one-half Of the operating
loss: that the s40.ooo.ooo loss could be
reduced to $2e,0oo.ooo. and that the
feet could be preserved and regained
in the event of another emergency.
I do not quarrel with them nor with
those who opposed the bill on the
ground that 1t would bestow addi-
tional profits on private owners. ]
pass the question whether the pro-
posed policy was in accord with that
Of foreign governments in granting
government aid to private ship oper-
ators. To agitate renewed discussion
of the ship subsidy bill in the absence
Of Congress to take action would
avail little. The question remains
United States Shipping Board. The
President and Chairman Lasker are
called on to make decision.
Granting our inability, which is
nanifestly true, to operate these ships
along new lines Of traffic at profit,
it would appear to me that too much
stress placed upon this fact is calcu-
lated to scare away investors. A lit
tie more cracking up of the possibilf-
ties of trade and q little less en-
phasis as to the hazard of loss might
produce an added value in the eyes OF
prospective purchasers. But the hot
potato must be disposed Of In some
way, The government must either
sell the ships for whatever 1t can get.
charter them under existing law and
grant every indirect aid possible. or
II must continue to operate them and
call upon the. Congress to provide
maintenance and new construction
and to cover current losses.
I. myself. am not a ship subsidy
man nor subsidy man of
any kind. do not like to
have the government hooked up with
business OF purely private charac-
ter. On the other hand. I do not
wish to see our flag disappear from
the seas nor this great auxiliary to
our Navy disappear. If no one will
for these ships and agree to main
tain them, I should think that the
government would be wholly tusti-
ownership under a strict guaranty
, that they be maintained and that the
new trade routes be kept open for a
fixed period of time. Let the loss
to the American people go along with
the burnt powder and the discarded
armament Of the war. II no pur-
chasers of these ships can be found.
If no subsidy is to be voted In their
behalf if it is to cost $4,000. 900 a
year to operate them as they are
now being operated. why not give
them away under carefully prepared
terms. maintain the trade routes and
the trade relations these routes have
established. and preserve the fleet
for subsequent return to the govern
ment in the event America again Is
drawn into conflict with any other
nation. A government Is not different
from an individual save in It's size
and resources and powers, and an in
dividual would be apt to give away a
thing It could not afford to keep if
by giving it away 1t preserved to it
self the things that actual retention
made possible.
Copyright, 1929 by Thomas R. Marshall.l