AMERICAN SHIPPING

Southland Times, Issue 18825, 19 May 1920, Page 5

AMERICAN SHIPPING

PROBLEMS OF THE FUTURE. NEED FOR CARGO CARRIERS. STATE OWNERSHIP OPPOSED. LOS ANGELES, Cal., April 9 Americans have not forgotten that a majority of their troop.-- cro-.-ed the Atlantic in British ships Isays the correspondent of the Auckland Herald I. Britain has now about 24 per cent, of the world’s tonnage, while the United States has about 18 per cent. At the present lime the problems of the future are being debated keenly and not without some misgiving. Next, week the National Marino League will hold a great, exposition in New York in order to stimulate interest in the mercantile marine. The Departments of the Navy ami of Commerce and the United States Shipping Board will take part and there will be a great display of marine paraphernalia amid a brilliant setting of colour and music. The league pul this question to the people: “Is our war-born merchant fleet a mushroom growth that will perish with the excitement tiial created it, or is the United States to lake u permanent place among the great shipping nations, and to become independent of hired carriers in its export trade?” It is pointed out by the league that America cannot have a merchant marine unless the people are fully interested ia and want it and it is asserted that the country needs a merchant marine more than ever before. The task of the league is to arouse the scagomg spirit in the people. In pre-Civil \\ ar days Americans were a ‘‘ship-conscious" people as the British are to-day. Through certain causes the American marine disappeared from all oceans after the Civil War, but recently the present licet was created because it had to be done. The Shipping Board asks that it be given two more years of life so that the ships belonging to the American people ca.t be sold to private capital without 100 heavy a loss. The league feels that unless American capital will invest in ships, unless American boys will work on ships, unless voters will take an interest in ships in order that necessary legislation shall be passed by Congress, nothing can stop the mercantile marine from declining again and ultimately disappearing. No one seems to deny that the Emergency Fleet Corporation has done well. It attracted the interest of the public to shipping when private capital had long failed to do so. But a continuance of Government ownership and control does not seem I even to be considered in high places. Just I at present a wave of opposition to Gov--1 ernnieiit owrifT.-inp M i .iy!i:?ri£r is sweeping lover the country. The. .• -hips were never lin private hands, ye! they seem certain 1 to go into privet '• harms arid at a good ideal |cs.- than eo.-l. , ;.e general sentiment i seems to be tnai in.s is the correct tiling ito do. The league believe.- in private j ownership, out m-at- on tot; necessity of having the .-flip;- unucr i.’ie star- and stripes. It argue- that many of America’s old export market- have been dc.-troyed or rendered inaceessinle and new ones must be developed. 3he advantages of having American ships are onvioug. Europe is soon to begin dumping enormous quantities of manni'aclured goods in order to pay what .-he owes. Americans must' have shipping facilities to move these goods again to sell them elsewhere. Lnless this is done the markets will be glutted and American shops and factories closed. An Associated Pre.-s message from Constantinople states that after Britain, the United Etat.es has at present more commercial shipping in Levantine waters than any other nation. A prominent American doing business there said; “Our position is like that of a railroad without stations or terminals. We have ships, but no American shipping agent- to handle them. V/e have no tacihties at the various ports and arc at the mercy of foreign agents, backed by their governments, whose interest is in assuring their own commercial interests. American intcrc.-ts are ready to erect temporary transport warehouses, but cannot get permits to do so. The efforts of the Shipping Board to get a footing in Constantinople are said to be blocked at every turn.”