The Bozeman courier., 1923-12-12

1
the government lost |
aeavily. That was the rule.
Ponder that, you farmers of the
South and the West. And you, Mr..
Business Man. wondering how you
are going to carry the burden of tax
alton, ponder the gentlemen operat
ing your ships, actually cashing mil
lions on your losses-and you will |
begin to get some understanding as
to how this Shipping Board has drain
ed your pocketbook-while million |
aires multiplied.
Now note how Al, the "ad" agent. |
chairman of the Shipping Board
brought from Chicago to GET THE
PEOPLE out of the Shipping Board
mess at the least loss, took charge
of the private operator and his sure
thing scheme against the government
in this exigency.
Mr.. Lasker, almost a year later
January, 1922-was not as denuncia-
tory in his language concerning N.
o. 4. when he again appeared before
Congressional committee:
Mr.. Wood-'Is the M. o. system
still in effect or Lave you changed
to some other plan?"
Mr.. Lasker-"Market conditions
controlling our export trade during
the past year have not been favor
able to any change in our method Of
handling government owned tonnage
from the NJ. o. a agreement The
general market at no tirSe reached
point where tonnage could be op.
Grated at a profit in the oversee
trade, and there was, therefore, no
inducement for private operators to
charter our government-owneds steam
ers. Any change in this re-
spect will be largely influenced by
the action taken by Congress on the
subsidy bill" In other words, Las
ker was telling Congress it could
either vote the subsidy or continue
to let the country be robbed under
M. o. A.
And he said further:
'I do not want to be understood
by this as favoring the M. o. A sys
tenn, which 1 have always felt, anC
still feel, was not an ideal system
or by any means the best one thai
could have been devised" (He ha:
changed his tune now from "vicious
chicane, looting the Public Treasury,
to "not an ideal SYSTEM" not th'
: best method" and so on.)
Representative Ewin L. Davis, o
Tennessee, told the House what A
did about this iniquitous M. o. 4.
, chairman Lasker testified at hear
: ings before the subcommittee of tn
= House Appropriations Committee o
: July 7, 1921, and described this NJ. {
4 contract as follows:
t The contract is the most shame
y piece of chicane, inefficiency and c
T. looting of the Public Treasury ths
e the human mind could devise.
d Later Chairman Lasker gave oil
. a statement which was carried in tt
h Associated Press, August 10, 1872
d the article stating in part:
y "'Decision to substitute bare-bO;
II charter for the system under whiC
d practically all Shipping Board We
il sells are now operated was anounc'
ID last night by Chairman Lasker aft
id a conference with President Hardin
l. Instead of the boats being turn
h. over to the operators on a five p
IS cent basis, it is the boards inte
E. ton to adopt uniform charter,
lie which the vessels will be leased
It, a tonnage basis, the lessee assumil
to the same risks of profit or loss
he would under the routing CONNIE
or cial charter
b. Not Changed By Lasker
If, "However, Chairman Lasker
hS nOC CudUSSu dAAy VI NiAO N<NASNAAAS
es, 10. a contracts. While he laid up
ov- large number of ships, yet th'
which were permitted to remain
operation were permitted to cOntir
he under M. o. 4 contracts, which L
an ker described as above stated; and
ial was doubtless correct In his en-
he acterization. They have changed
or M. o. contracts to bare-boat char
she contracts, although this great adv
cts tiser announced to the world m
e. than a year ago he was going
s. make such a change.
ase "He has not only not made S
'om change, but he called the manae
to agents of the Shipping Board YES
nue. together in Washington, June
OF 1922, and voluntarily adopted and
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