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m0) directs the President to take steps to abrogate the provisions of treaties of commerce that restrict American rights to impose discriminating duties on imports. Senator Jones said the act leaves the shipping board to do exactly what it was primarily intended to do. Senator Jones' Second Bill The other bill of Senator Jones expresses the views he has on the theory of the shipping board han- dling the ships and he said that. if that should be the policy that should be adopted by the committee after further hearings, the suggestions will be of. benefit. ~ "When the world war began," said Senator' Jones, "we had 1,076,152 gross tons of shipping (in foreign trade) out of nearly 50,000,000 tons engaged in the world's trade. It was carry- ine Only about 10 per cent of our foreign commerce. Then was brought home to us the need of a great na- 'tion fora merchant marine. Foreign shipping upon which we were de- pendent was taken for war purposes. Our products and goods could not be exported for lack of ships. Charter rates became excessive, many of our industries were prostrate, and our people were threatened with ruin. Th 'loss actually. suffered was more than would have been required to secure an adequate merchant marine under proper government encourage- ment. "When we entered the war in 1917 our foreign tonnage had _ increased to 2,191,715 tons under the impetus of war needs. Then it was that our prospective coastwise policy was fully justified. It is safe to say that the war was really won by our coastwise merchant marine, which then amounted to 6,277,934 tons. Many of the best ships available for transporting troops, munitions, and supplies were coast- wise ships which we would not have had except. for the policy followed for the protection of our coastwise shipping from foreign competition. It saved us and the allies from de- feat, or helped us to an early vic- tory." Senator Jones said that by the end of 1920 the United States will have, including its coastwise shipping, a merchant fleet of almost gross tons, and about equal to that of the British empire. Of the 12,000,- 000 tons of shipping for the foreign trade that will be under the American flag by the close of 1920, said the senator, more than 8,000,000 will be "owned by the government and paid for by taxes from the. people. "We may differ about government did not have 'legislation 18,000,000 f THE MARINE REVIEW he pointed out, "but that issue here. The govern- these ships, whether we They cannot be given ownership," can be no ment owns will or no. away. The people will not stand for that. We must not allow private parties to take the cream of this shipping and let the government hold 'the balance to dispose of at a great sacrifice. Grant that government ownership should end as soon as may be; it must be brought about as near- ly as may be without unnecessary sacrifice and just as a private indi-' vidual would get rid of property he did not desire to keep but that he to dispose of at a sactifice. Furthermore, the govern- ment is interested in the future suc- cess of shipping and the maintenance of a permanent fleet. That object must be kept in view, and in getting rid of government ownership we must. not try to sacrifice our property and must strive also to build up and put our shipping on a permanent. basis. Ip fact, the ultimate purpose of, our should be the establish- ment of a policy under which an adequate merchant marine will be de- veloped and maintained under private ownership and operation." More Ships Must be Built It was explained that no one can reasonably hope that private enter- prise and capital, in the face of for- eign competition and handicapped by our Own inexperience, and lack of businéss connections and _ facilities, will be able to absorb and take over all this shipping in a short while and establish the routes that we ought to have. To serve our present needs, establish and maintain new lines, and develop the new markets, additional ships of special type, size, and speed must tbe built, said Senator Jones, who, stating that they would cost large sums of money, explained that some may be built by private capital, but, in his judgment, most of them will have to be built by the govern- fuemt. fle said they can. be built without new appropriations and as a part of a policy that not only will cost the government nothing but will help repay what already has been spent. "Along with the ships' we have we also have agencies to build the ships we need," the senator stated. "It is economy to use them, even if the ad- ditional cost of a ship may be a little more--which I very much doubt. At Camden, N. J., for example, the government has a plant for building the largest ships in the world with ways a thousand feet long. This plant has cost several millions of mercial December, 1919 dollars, and for all practical purposes is a part of the New York Shipbuild- ing Co.'s yard. Unless private ship- building interests are ready to buy it and pay a fair price for it, the gov- ernment ought to keep it and through the New York Shipbuilding Co. con- struct the ships that it ought to have for the construction of which there are probably no other existing facil- ities. "The situation that confronts us is about this: We are comparatively inexperienced in financing, building and operating ships. We ought to have, for national safety and com- success, at least 15,000,000 to be maintained and increased as our trade grows, along with ample shipbuilding and repair yards. We will have this ship- ping by the close of 1920, with 8,000,- 000 tons or more of it owned by the government." The bill he prepared is intended to bring it ultimately into private hands, insure its maintenance and development to mect the needs of national safety and commerce, and at the same time return to. the people the greatest part of their investment. The house of representatives on Nov. 8 passed by a vote of 238 to $ a bill providing for private ownership of an American merchant marine; taking away from the President con- trol over the shipping board and cen- tons of shipping, 'tralizing authority and_ responsibility in that body; sale by the shipping board of all ships as soon as possible and long-term payments to aid in their purchase by private interests. The bill would repeal all emergency shipping legislation and cancel all the extraordinary powers. conferred on the President with regard to the requisition of ships, wharves and other properties and would also repeal the power to control ocean freights and charters. After authorizing the sale of ships, extending payments up to 10 years, the bill directs the shipping board to accept mortgages and to discontinue shipbuilding so far as is consistent with good judgment, and not to make any further investments in new ships or plants. The measure also creates an American bureau of shipping for the classification of ship- ping after the manner of the British Lloyds. To Establish Loadline Another important part of the ship- ping legislation, said Chairman Greene, is the loadline bill which has passed the house, marking the depth to which ships may be loaded, thus add- ing safety to the vessels at sea. The council of the National Mer- chant Marine association at a meet-