The Daily Alaska empire., 1936-12-29
A POOR ALIBI

Report from San Francisco is that the Copeland shipping bill passed at the last session of Congress and which becoming effective now at the first of the year may have tendency to compcate matters in settlement of the maritime strike Essence of that probably is that both sides trying to pass the blame for non-settement on to somebody and nobody is handy but the government so the natural thing is to blame the government Congress It is thin for both the strikers and the shipowners to be tread ing after tying up the shipping of the Pacific Coast and large part of the nation 60 days with prospect of settlement.
 The Copeland bill is an interesting piece of egs- lation passed the the day of the last session of Congress June 19. Its main purpose is to build up the American merchant marine. It was conceived after it revealed to Congress that under the old system of government subsidy the merchant marine getting nowhere despite the fact that Uncle Sam had paid out $l35500000 on mail tracts, $112500000 in plain subsidy and loaned SAT- 943642 for new construction and reconditioning in fact virtually nothing had been done to keep the American merchant marine at least on par with other countries So it drafted the Copeland bill which among other things includes these provisions s. That all mail contracts must be voided by June 30, 1887. Next, Maritime Commission of five bers is given power to absorb the construction differ ental by paying American shipyards the domestic price, and selling to private owners at the foreign price. If for instance the American cost of the ship is $l0O0000 and the determined foreign $500 00O the government will pay the American builder S1 1OOO- 000 and sell the ship to the applicant for $500 OOO payable 25 per cent down. and the balance in twenty yearly installments the government retaining first mortgage for it's protection. The law also provides for absorption of the operating dfferentia that is the higher cost of American crews insurance and sub sistence
 In return for federal aid, the bill demands that plans for all vessels be approved by the Navy manning scales, minimum wage scales, ultimately 90 per cent American crews and officers depend ing on the type of vessel and registry under the Stars and Stripes for at least twenty years In order to insure proper replacement the contractor is required to create and maintain out of gross earnings capital reserve fund to take of depreciation the twenty-year period Also special reserve fund in which shall be deposited all profits 10 per cent in of the profits deposited in the capital reserve fund Moreover, the shipbuilder must return to the government all profit in excess of 10 per cent per annum
 In looking over this summary it can be plainly seen why the Copeland bill might have very defin- ite bearing the marine strike But what puzzles is why the warning factions didn't think anything about it until they wanted to blame somebody else for not settling the strike. The Copeland bill was passed last June It can be stated without fear of contradiction that both the shpowners and unions did plenty of lobbying in connection with it. Then i. dropped out of the picture until they needed some thing for an alib to the public why they not settling the strike. It's poor alibi