Salt Lake Herald-Republican | 1915-09-05 | Page 10 | American Tonnage

AMERICAN TONNAGE THOSE 1 HOSE Republican senator who I. opposed and defeated the ship purchase legislation maintained that tho the American if unhampered and g given reasonable assistance would solve the tho overseas transportation tion problem They predicted an in increase increase in- in crease in the tho American merchant marine as a n result of the war without any of the dangers the thc purchase of foreign bottoms bottom would promote Official Official Of Of- reports show such an increase i in ill i American ship tonnage as to justify jus ins their attitude and to prove pro the advisability of abandoning whatever cr plans the administration may have to rev revive reve e tho the ship purchase idea ideo The Secretary of ot the Treasury supported b by the President assumed that private capital would not furnish facilities for export trade and that the government must therefore go into the iho transportation business busine Events have havo shown lio how thoroughly mistaken was his assumption Private Private Private I vate capital is rapidly providing suf- suf vessels e sels to care caro for American sur-I sur foreign commerce and ana that despite tho the obstacle created by the Lafollette Seamen's Seamen s 's law When hen that mistaken legislation has been erased and I Americans can call undertake transportation tion enterprises in the Pacific in competition competition com corn petition with Asiatic crews government govern govern- ment interference with tho the ocean- ocean carrying business will be unnecessary Americans have haye been so busily engaged engaged en en- ned g-ned in iii developing de the r resources sources of their own countr country that they had bad n neither ither energy nor capital to spare for ocean transportation enterprises I 1 Their money was ras profitably invested paying good returns and doing good work vork It was not necessary to extend its its' its field into the realm of r overseas overseas- transportation because that function was bein being satisfactorily performed d by foreign lines under subsidy from their home governments go The rho outbreak of the tho war removed removed the great majority of vessels from front the tho ocean carrying trade and has presented to the tho American Amer ican lean exporter a problem ho lie has never ne before been compelled to solve That he will solve it as aR he has others there is no reason to doubt Real competition with forc foreign ship ship- owners should the tho W war r close cIoe and anti re release release re- re lease interned bottoms bottom as well vell as those serving ser as ns naval auxiliaries would bo be impossible The Tue onerous restrictions of the Lafollette law designed to protect protect protect pro pro- tho tim American seaman where ho lie needs none give ghe the foreign ship ship- owner an all immeasurable advantage