The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-01-22
AMERICA NEEDS SHIPS
AS MUCH AS EUROPE
NEEDS WAR MUNITIONS

ST. Louis. Jan. 22.-James J. Hin
In q paper on Freedom for OuT For
cign Trade submitted 20 the second
National Foreign Trade convention
here today. said the Indispensable
condition Tor such freedom WAS adc-
quatc ocean carriage In American
ships. ry GUY service by big subsidies
was, he declared. "a losing game. Tie
need OF mcrl naut ships In America
was almost as great us that OF other
nations Tor munitions OF war.
In the month OF November ne
said' the exports from the port OF
New York were 2l2. OOO. 600 more than
the year before. There was on in
crease Of about 900 per cent in the
exports Of food products. The for
cign demand must increase In direct
ratio with the exhaustion Of supplies
Ia warning nations, How are these
goods. which we desire To sell and
others are anxious 10 buy. Go be cor
ried to the oversee markets.?
such "a slight relief was afforded
by The wise removal of The prohibi-
ton of registry for foroign-huilt vcs-
sells has been given II m hardly a
drop ln the bucket. IN "a the week
NANNAA AHN'NNNNNNN cue ANNNH ANNNNA NHANA
registry has been granted tu i05 yos-
sells heretofore operated under for
cign control. a@ggrcsating 373.stO gross
toms. This Is not enough TO prevent
] present CONGESTION ana holds out little
nope for the supply of further needs.
American cost OF approximation
b. from so to roo per cont higher than
abroad, and according 10 "A reported
" NfNfnFnnmH gH fNuHfuHR Rn..aWH A.Hn.n
who operated ships in both domestic
and foreign trade u costs about ST.
t86 more u year 90 operate q snip on
o00 tons under The American than
under the British flag. Those arc the
DISADVANTAGES under which our for
cign trade laboTs.
There are hut tWo resources; one
a merchant marine owned aud opcrut-
ed by the government; the other a
merchant marine provided by and for
the people.
The former juHt now urgently add
vocatcd, Ia an unwisr-and would be-
certainly a disastrous - experiment.
Aside from the complications, almost
certain to DRAG us sooner or later into
the European conflict, owing 20 the
uncertain and Conhlotlng claims oi
iAAAARlNNA N'NNN HAttNNf ANN" lN'Nh WNNAN
be followed by the total destruction
OF the private shipping interest. Pri-
waite enterprise cannot possibly conn
pete with a government which pays
no Interest on the cost OF its ships and
throws aside consideration Of profit
and loss.
what is the prospect, In this case
Of economical management, aud of
those lower rates which the advocates
of the plan hold OUT as a bait for its
adoption We have an exact measure
OF the fact IN some comparative rail
road statistics. The Panama RAILWAY
Is entirely owned aud operated by the
United states. Like most affairs ON
the isthmus II has been handled oy
honest and competent men in their
several lines We have rs official re-
port for the year ended June 80, 1918,
a. be compared with the statistics OF
an the railways OF the united states
for the same period. The rate on the
Panama line was 3.fS cents per ton
per mile. ns against .72Gs OF a cent
Tor an the railways 81 the United
States. That is. the government rare
was almost five dimes h rate mace
hy private enterprise over the entire
country.
rAt tho International trade confer
ente OF ihO Mississippi valley and con-