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Show MERCHANT SHIPS UP TO CONGRESS CHAIRMAN LASKER DECLARES COMMERCE ON SEAS DEPENDS DE-PENDS UPON SUBSIDY Head of Board Urges .Members to Place Question Squarely Before American People For Their Decision Washington. Chairman Lasker ol the shipping board Sunday put the future of the American merchant marine squarely up to congress. In an open letter to all members of the house and senate he declared that one of two things must happen there must either be a ship subsidy bill or tie American commercial flag will retire from the high seas. Valuable Valu-able word trade will be controlled by other nations. The United States will . have to suffer the loss of the tremendous tre-mendous investment in constructing the great fleet. "The final determination need not be dejendent on whether one feels that the United States needs a merchant mer-chant marine; the fact is that the shipping board is today in possession of the greatest fleet the world has ever known," Lasker wrote. ' "The shipping board admits that "it ennnot operate its fleet remotely as economically as private owners operate oper-ate their vessels; the history of prior boards shows that they were-unable to put tlie operation of the govern-men govern-men fleet on a proper business basis. The shipping board believes that the fleet under its charge can never be profitably or successfully operated un der government control. "What shall we do with this war inheritance? in-heritance? Shall it be sold to private ownership for operation under the American flag? (Shall It be sold abroad, possibly some day to rise and plague us, or shall it be junked and charged off to war cost as powder and shell were charged off?" The chairman dismisses as impractical imprac-tical the suggestion that the ships be junked, as it would be nn admission that Americans are incapable of operas ating them and it would prove a serious ser-ious blow to the United States prestige. pres-tige. To sell them abroad, he points out, would be to put in the hands of our competitors nn effective wenpon to destroy our -world trade. By substituting the1 administration's ship subsidy bill for the present form of operation the ships could be turned to profitable private ownership and the taxpayers relieved of a heavy burden. bur-den. The ships are costing the government gov-ernment $50,000,000 annually, oxclu-sive oxclu-sive of depreciation, Insurance and interest. And of 11,000.000 tons now owned by the government Mr. Lsxsker declared it had been possible to sell only 150,000 tons in the face of curT rent conditions. , ' Since taking over the board every effort has been made to develop profitable prof-itable shipping lines by congress, he stated. This proved unworkable because be-cause at the same time private operation oper-ation proved unprofitable and there are no purchasers. "The shipping board believes that the great purpose before us can be accomplished through the agency of direct and indirect aids, as proposed in the measure now before congress," -tlie letter continues. "The fleet was acquired through war necessity. Many of the ships are of the wrong type for peace time trade. There can be no thought ' of naval equality ; with Great Britain unless we have as many ships of proper type suitable for naval auxiliaries. Great Britain already has 250 ships of this class to this country's fifty. "Ships are as essential to foreign trade as are goods. It is not to be supposed sup-posed that our competitors will always give us ships' when and as we need them. Regularity or sailing and promptness of service are the very life of foreign trade. Inability to market our surplus abroad will mean depression at home. "The farmer is vitally interested in the merchant marine. It is probable pro-bable that the great carrying nations of the world owing us large sums of money may buy their agricultural needs elsewhere. We must insure such ocean service as will compel them to buy from us. A great toll In excessive freight charges may be collected from us by foreigners. |