Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-12-16
Current Influences

N
"A ment of her export trade is favorite
subject for magazine articles just now. The
Worlds Work devotes It's third war number
to the Effects on the Americas" with nu-
merous articles regarding various South
American countries and pages of alurng
pictures OF:
"Buenos Aires, bigger than Rome. or Mad
rid. or Venice, bigger than any city of the
so-called Latin races except Paris. II has
not only passenger subway like New York,
but also a freight subway like Chicago. 1t
is the supply city Of a great West. a kind OF
Chicago on the ocean, only it covers its bust
ness rush with Partisan gayety and artistic
appearance" and
"Rio de Janelro. an awakened city a city
that made a great plan for itself, like chi
cago and San Francisco, and then carried
it out" G).
Charles Sumner HamIn. governor Of the
Federal Reserve Board in What We Are
Trying to DO to Encourage Trade Between
South America and the United States CO.
describes the foreign relations feature of the
Federal Reserve act.
James II. Perkins, vice president of the
National City Bank, the largest financial in
stitution in this country tells What the
National City Bank Is Trying TO DO" go:
"For commercial expansion in the South
American field there is a distinct need for
our own banking facilities but under our
to form an Independent organization, with
large capital, to be on anywhere near equal
terms with the banks already established
there by other countries. The Federal Re
serve Act has made 1t possible, however, to
establish in Il foreign country branch of
a United States institution, placing behind
the branch the resources and prestige OF
the parent institution. The directors of the
bank In June authorized an application to
the Federal Reserve Board for the privilege
Of establishing branch at Buenos Aires,
Argentine Republic, and one at Rio de ia
Metro, Brazil II is expected that the bank
will be in operation by the time this is
printed
c. L. Carter, in Building Up Export
Trade" (4) suggests reasons for the United
States not having been more successful in
southern export trade:
United States Consuls in South America
are under the constant necessity of remind
ing would-be exporters that II they expect
orders they must send statesmen, and not
peddlers, to call upon polished and punctil-
ious Latin Americans; that 1t is vast, of
postage to mail catalogs form letters and
other literature i'm English to business men
who speak no language but Spanish Portu-
glese or French, and other things equally
elemental
Our Merchant Marine
Closely associated with the export trade
is the question of merchant marine. Bur-
ton J. Hendricll writes:
GAS a result of the European war the
American nation is experiencing one OF its
periodical searchings Of heart on the sub
]ect of an American merchant marine"
Mr.. Hendric< gives details of the legis-
lation which has made 1t impossible for
an American marine to compete with other
nations. He quotes Captain Dollar:
"Who figured out precisely what it costs
to carry the American instead of a foreign
flag? American laws insist that he shall keep
a third assistant licensed engineer at $50 a
month, an expense foreign owners can es-
cane. He has to have three men regularly
employed as oilers at $50 per month each,
whereas, on foreign ships, storekeepers,
donkeymen and other employees do the OIL
ing. On his American ship, three water
tenders sit in the fireroom and do nothing
but draw wages which they do not earn on
foreign ships. they are unknown Unlike
English and German masters, he has to en-
ploy four quartermasters at 500 month
each. These annual charges for function
aries, unknown to a foreign steamship rep
resent an extra outlay of SS736,
"There are other expenses. American sys-
TENS OF measurement differ from English ana
German, greatly to the disadvantage OF the
Americans-with proportionate increase in
charges for pilotage, wharfage, doekage and
dry docking. AS a result OF these several
charges, American registry on the vessel IN
question costs an additional Sl1,2S6. Merely
changing the flag 70 English or German
means saving identically that amount every
YEAR This is 3 per cent. on S34472O-more
ihan the cost Of a good export cargo vessel
A saving of this not only means dividends;
it means protection from absolute bank
ruptcy.
I'm view Of these figures. s. is hardly sur
prlsing that our largest American ship own
ers, such as the Standard Oil Company anc
the United Fruit Company, transfer theil
ships to foreign flags. And Congress, 1udg-
ing from the progress of the Furuseth labor
union bill last winter far from mitigating
this situation, is preparing to add Other
| burdens"
| An article In the last number OF the Annal
| OF tile American Academy Of Political an'
| Social Science. by Florence Kelley, wei
/ known for her legislative work in connection
J with the Consumers League, on women AM
/ Social Legislation 90, gives the revers'
/ attitude on marine legislation. She writes;
] 1--WE who are of the great nation Of tTay
/ elers might reasonably be expected TO car
/ for safety at sea. Such Is, however, not ou
record Even the loss Of the Titanic cause'
only a ripple Of interest IN social legisla
| tion OF this character Following that mon
| sfrous destruction OF human life, Congress
! contented itself with requiring eontinuou
wireless service, with two certihcated wire
| less operators on board ships leaving ou
! harbors. There Is uneeasing influential eI
| fort to relax even this slender improve
| ment, and this nation viii be roftuhat
beyond its deserts H. az the close OF IN
present Congress, our statutes 90 not as
sure us less safety az sea- rather than more
Although respondent over the possibilit
OF increased stringeney Mr., Hendricks,
the article irst quoted. gives appreeiau'