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The sixty-ninth congress of the United States convened in Washington, D. C., Dec. 7, 1925 What Is Congress Going To Do About It? UT of enormous expenditures of public money since the beginning and attended by colossal waste, the ninth annual report of the shipping board, as of June 30, 1925, accounts for a government owned merchant marine of 1245 ships of 8,563,150 deadweight tons of which 331 of 2,712,877 deadweight tons are in active service leaving 914 vessels of 5,850,000 deadweight tons laid up and idle. The figures for Dec. 31, 1925 will be but slightly different and with even a less number of active ships. To accomplish this over $30,000,000 in losses was paid out of the treasury and $24,000,000 is the lowest estimate needed to meet the losses of the coming year. This is, of course not taking into account interest and de- preciation. What will congress do about it? What would a clear headed prudent business man do about it? President Coolidge asked this question and got his answer from Henry G. Dalton of Cleveland. Secretary Hoover has answered this question and so has a committee appointed by the chamber of commerce of the United States. The American Steamship Owners association and correlated bodies have answered this question. All of these answers are available in full detail in neatly print- ed reports, and ought to be carefully studied. The President has succinctly summarized the practically unanimous consensus of opinion con- tained in these reports as follows: 1. The surplus ships are costly to care for and ought to be sold. 2. The active fleet should be under the direct control of a single executive head. 3. The shipping board should exercise its judi- cial and regulatory function in accordance with its original conception. If legislation along these lines is passed and private shipping is supported and encouraged by the removal of all hampering and restricting reg- ulations while continuing to fully safeguard life and property and to protect the rights of American seamen, a great step forward will have been made in creating a real mer- chant marine. Sp gp eaves 9 aR Pi 0 i a © 4! : { maar cea La bf