Salt Lake Tribune | 1915-01-14 | Page 6 | Picking the Flaws

PICKING THE FLAWS Democrats are displaying every evi dence of shock and surprise because the Eepublicans In Congress have seen f t to oppose the shipping bill The administrat onists seem to regard the Republican action as something border Wg on Bacr lege or lese majeste ffifcs well that the administrat on s plan for a government owned merchant marine shall be subjected to a search ng scrutiny If the plan has over whelming merits they will be bro ght out by candid d scuss on If the b 11 contains more evil than good the coun try w 11 be glad to know the truth Under the provis ons of the b 11 the government subscribes 51 per cent of the capital ration in such companies as may be formed to start the merchant mar ne The publ c is expected to sub ecr be the other 40 per cent The gov ernment expects to run the business either at a profit or at a loss If t looks forward to a loss how can it es pe$ to obtain private cap tal? If it expects a profit the taxpayers w 11 be eager to learn bow the profit can be made The very fact that the government thinks It necessary to enter the ship ping business is a s gn that the busi ness must be conducted at a loss for ome t me The government no doubt can stand the loss but wh t p ate uterests arc w 11 ng to subsc be stock or the patr ot c purpose of s ffer n& a loss Perhaps tlos great n) str al I oucojns h h se 1 to si redd the r wares over tl e entire lobo may f nd t to the r interest to invest n the shipp ng bus ness at a loss n the ex pectation of reaping prof ts from their tore gn trade It tl ere are such con cerns they have not yet made them selves heard What are the prospects that a newly created government controlled mer chant mar ne can be operated at a prof t? The adn mistration goes on the theory that a mercant le marine can be established and made successful as a re suit of the temporary d saster which has befallen the foreign shipping No doubt i if the d saster should piove permanent the admm strat on s theory would work out to the satisfact on of this country But is it not more pr dent to expect a revival of German Engl sh and Trench trade with South America after the wart The causes which have removed America s merchant mar ne from the ocean lie so deep that they can hardly be counteracted by a few monthB of warfare n Europe The ch ef causes are tho cost of build ng sh ps n th a country and operat ng them under the h gh wage scale made necessary if the ships fly the American flag The mi tial cost can now be reduced because the ships can be purchased from foreign owners but the- cost of labor will re mam the same or bo h gher The fore going causes are more or less perma nent while the war is fleet ng These are some of the considerat ons wh ch have led the Republican mem bers of the house and senate to ques tion the admm strat on s programme with regard to shipping No harm can j come from shedding as much 1 ght as ! possible upon the proposal When the discussion in Congress ends both s des will have learned much to their advan j tage