Saturday, Mar. 03, 1923

Liquidation, Humiliation

Idle vessels of the Shipping Board will be sold at any sacrifice. This decision results from the failure of the Ship Subsidy bill to pass. It is the " liquidation and humiliation " President Harding mentioned in his last message to Congress.

Liquidation will mean a saving of $50,000,000 yearly cost of operation of the government-owned merchant marine. The humiliation lies in the "surrender of our aspirations and the confession of our impotence . . . before the competing world." The ships cost $3,000,000,000; they will bring $26,000,000.