Evening star., 1924-11-23
PLUNNMER APPEALS
] :}Is|'AF0R SHIP SUBSIDY
aATeIIs MayfIower Society
oiPresent Operation Plan Is
Bad Business for u. S.

"
2cfo be frightened by the one word
subsidy-the Government is spending
practically SIS per ton per year to
p keep in operation those ships which
the Emergency Fleet Corporation Is
operating" L. c. Plummer. vice chair
man of the United States Shipping
Board, said at the annual meeting of
the Society of Mayfiower Descendants
AZ the Ebbtt Hotel Friday night.
when ii Is considered that the
Roosevelt commission, after ex-
- haustive investigation, found that IS
r-per gross ton was amply sufficient to
.I.e put American freight ships on a COM
sa.peting basis in our foreign trade. the
" significance of these figures becomes
: apparent" he said, "and the Roose-
-avelt figures provided for interest and
r depreciation, so that as ships were
: out and became obsolete their owners
would have on hand sufficient funds
left by such ships to pay for replace
= ments."
a. Covers Only Expenses.
The cost of SIS per ton. as now ex-
listing, Mr.. Plummer said, covers moth
Ing but expenses while these ships
are being worn out. No replacement
fund is being created. and when these
ships have become useless the ocean
business of this country will have to
be surrendered to the foreigner again,
unless Congress can be persuaded to
appropriate large additional sums for
building new ships. he stated.
1T is highly appropriate that the
Society of Mayf1ower Descendants
consider the problem of an American
merchant. marine, for 1t was the
Plymouth colony which first put this
industry on a permanent basis in
the New World" Mr.. Plummer con-
tinued.
Made First Regulations.
Then they enacted the first New
: World regulations to insure the build
: Ing of high-class ships: regulations
which, in more elaborate form, gov
ern world shipbuilding today. Under
heavy penalties they made certain
that nothing should be defective or
. smiss i'm any materials or work.
manship.'
The result of this businesslike
; proceeding was such successful
3 shipbuilding industry on the shores of
Massachusetts Bay that as early as
1868 Sir Joshua Child, in his official
report to Parliament, gave notice
that there was a maritime compel
tition that England had cause to
fear.
I'VE know, as they knew, that ships
built, owned and operated by Amer
leans are a national necessity. We
KNOW 1ndt because OF american
higher standards of living such ships
cannot successfully compete for the
carrying of our cargoes in foreign
trade unless financially aided by the
Government. We know that our
people are paying out annually for
freight and passenger transportation
upon the ocean six hundred million
dollars. These facts ought to be
sufficient to awaken Americans to the
need for more ships, but now comes
an additional fact which hits the
public pocketbook SO heavily that
even the blindest of our people ought
to be able to comprehend.
Two Million GROSS Tons.
"The Emergency Fleet now Is super
cising the operation of about 2,000,O 900
gross tons of ships. It's personnel of
2,552. with salaries of $7,3S6,112 and
travel, office and other incidental ex-
Dcuses of nearly $4,000,000, make a
total annual expense for this organt-
zation alone of about s11,000,000, or
more than IS per year for each gross
ton Of vessel operated.
Less than half the amount now Le-
ing spent by the Government under
Emergency Fleet supervision, II eX
pended as provided in the Roosevelt
Commission report, would not only
enable the Government to sell the
iNtl IIo" III OpCidlioi, pul "ooio
sure a permanent merchant marine
privately owned and Of constantly
improving type Of ships.
But the Roosevelt method Is called
"A subsidy and so is not to be util-
= lied, and the present method Of keep
ing our flag en- the sea, while less
effective and more than twice as ex-
pensive, is employed really because
many congressman are afraid of
business word
In other words, shall we spend SIS
per ton per year to get nowhere in
the end or spend less than half that
sum in businesslike way and get
somewhere" he concluded
"COmpact' Is Ready.
Invocation was given by Rev. John
T. Huddle, after which the Compact"
signed in the cabin Of the Mayf1ower,
was read by Thomas F. Whittelsey,
In observance of Compact day."
celebrated by Mayfiower descendants
all over this country. John Balch
Blood and Mr.. Whittelsey, secretary
and treasurer. respectively, read their
annual reports, aand Mrs. Bertha NJ
Robbins gave the society's history
for the year.
A nominating committee, composed
or Gilbert ?. Brown. chairman, Mrs.
Daisy w. Monroe and John K. Parish,
pItSSUttu Ine 1OIlCWlnR nominees.
who were unanimously elected: Gov
crnor, Frank H. Briggs; deputy gov
crnor, T. F. Whittelsey; captain, J.
b. Blood; elder, Rev J. r. Huddle;
secretary. Kenneth s. Wales; treas
urer, Edwin c. Blanchard; historian,
Mrs. B. NJ. Robbins. and surgeon, DR..
Charles Henry Stokes. The board of
assistants is composed of: Jason
Waterman, Miss Garlic E. Marsh Mrs.
Henry s. Patten, William C. Dennis,
Henry G. Crocker. Harry H. Semmes
and John Altheus johnson.
Carter 3. keene. the retiring gov
ernor, expressed the desire that the
n members would afford his successor
the same support as was given to
ri him. He installed Gov. Briggs, who
'"iassumed the chair. A musical pro-
- gram was given by Miss Carolyn
Manning and Miss Glennon.
p