The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-11-13
FOUR HUNDRED
AUXILIARY SHIPS
ARE NEEDED
by the Navy as an Arm of Ma.
tional Defense Declares
Fletcher of Florida.

NEW YORK, Nov. 13-The neces-
stty Of providing at least 400 auxili-
ray ships for the navy as an arm OF
the national defense was urged by,
Senator Duncan Fletcher, Of plori-
;da. at q meeting Of the Academy OF
Political Science at Columbia 5IIniyer-
sity as justification In itself for the
enactment OF bill for; the govern
ment ownership Of merchant ships.
Senator Fletcher had charge of the
government ship purchase bill In the.
Senate last session and his words
were listened to as Indicative Of plans
for enactihg the measure into law at
the coming session.
Last January when the ship ptir-
chase bill was before the Senate. Il
pointed out that Great Britain, with.
all its naval establishments, had
found 1t necessary to commander
about l, o merchant vessels during
the present war" said the senator.
II pointed out our need Of naval
atxilfaries. The need grows on us.I
The government Is compelled to
build and acquire ships to meet the
necessities Of the navy. Navy auxil-
iaries are certain and controlling
need. These auxiiiaries can be con-
trolled SO as to serve commerce in
time OF peace and be made ready to
serve the navy In time OF threatened
or actual war. 1t il an army Of the
national defense which, must be de-
yeloped and made seryiceable. -
Private control OF transportation
may serve the purpose today and to-
morrow may join foreign combina-
tons in utter disregard OF both In;
ivestors and the public, he continued
to say.
I'VE must be free from foreign
domination" he added. II do not.
know how this can be secure except
by government control. in view Of;
the great lead that the merchant
marine Of other countries have se-
cured"
The shipping laws enacted since
1912 were pronounced as the first aid
given American shipping in years.
He defined the terms OF the sea-
mans law, which went into effect
eight days ago, adding that he
thought 1t would be found that the
strongest objections to the act ON the
Atlantic were from foreign shipping
interests. The senator denounced the
action Of the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company officials in abandoning the:
the TRANSIT acifc service ON the
ground OF the seaman's inw and
then transferring their ships to an-i
other ocean where the same law ap-.
plies with equal force.
The commercial demand for more
tonnage Is Increasing as the months
roll by the senator pointed out.
There Is no doubt we have suffer
ed many millions OF dollars during
the last year In loss or trade and
commerce, and in burdensorne freikl,t
rates, he said. THE rate on sraffi,
to Liverpool is forty cents bushel.
while before the war it was FOUR
cents. The rates on -four has gone
from twelve to sixty-fiye cents 4 hum
adred pounds. On provisions the rate
Us increased from IS a ton to $1 q
hundred pounds. On cotton the rate
is $1.25, when formerly 1t was twenty
cents hundred pounds. Eastern.
railroad terminals are conEested.
due to lack Of ships. Freight COM
ttnues to pile up at the ports. No.
law controls ocean rates. We may
expect to pay foreign ship owners
their own price. and that price will
be higher yet. Freight embargo il
on at Gaveston and threatened in
New York. Our markets can be re-
stricted or eliminated without resort
to import laws-contro1 Of the
means of transportation is sufficient.
The welfare OF our producers is in
peril, the necessary equipment Of the
nation itself is incomplete when we
are dependent on foreign vessels to
reach markets"
Subsidy has been a failure, the
senator declared, and the mere iisc.
of the phrases OF .'sociallsticp and
'.paternhlistic', In Characterization OF
government ownership Of vessels did
not frighten him in the least. He
added that the same criticism had
been made Oh the parcels post law,
the postal savings law, the rural free
delivery law. the taking over or the
Panama railroad and q steaniship;
lire. the Ifitefstafe Comitterne ttnm-