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Show NATIONAL AFFAIRS Frank P. Litschert Our experiences with rubber, coffee cof-fee and nitrates, have pretty well convinced the people of the United States that a foreign monopoly on any commodity in general use is not a good thing for the American con sumer. They are also fairly well persuaded that the only way effectually effect-ually to check a foreign monopoly of this "kind is to do our own producing. produc-ing. This lesson in rubber and coffee should be taken to heart too, by those who, up to this time, have shown no particular interest in the American merchant marine, because ' it seemed such an abstract, far-away question. For an active American merchant marine is just as sure to prevent gouging of the American public in the way of freight rates, as a big production of American rubber rub-ber would prevent our being held up by a European rubber trust.- Now European nations would , of course be glad to get this business j back. They have found it too big -a job to buck against the United StaTS.? es government but have hoped to dfV-j'I' more against private lines flying the ' American flag. Realizing this dan-j ger Congress recently appropriated $10,000,000 to fight this sort of competition. Every American who understands the situation will heartily approve of this appropriation. As one writer on economics recently put it: For every dollar our people lose in maintaining main-taining ships in foreign trade, foreigners for-eigners know if we do not, the people peo-ple save ten dollars in lower freight rates what our government loses, the people save over and over again. |