The Red Cloud chief., 1918-11-14


portion to the country's commercial Importance
came up, the question was raised: How are we
going to get men for American shpsi"
Young Americans had got out Of the way of sea.
going. The country did not think in terms Of
ships Foreign seamen chiefly manned what
sells we had. Our shpyards could not compete
with foreign yards.
The war has changed all that The change has
been little short of magical. The United States Of
America leads the world in shipbuding. 1t
will soon lead the world with its seagong citizens.
Thousands of young Americans turning to the
sea every month"; The old era of the squarerig.
gers, to which friends of the American merchant
marine fOndly refer is rapidly being dwarfed by
what is taking place in our merchant marine today.
AS an example of the extraordinary change going
on in the matter of crews, may be cited phe-
nomenal jump in September recruiting for the
merchant marine reported by the United States
shipping board from Washington, in the following
bulletin:
An increase of AL per cent In a month. in the
number of cruits for the merchant marine signed
the United States shipping board. reported
by the board. The hgures covering four weeks end
ing September u. are as follows: Week ending
August p, Sl3 men, August 29, LIE; September 5.
Go,; September u, Asa The figures for the latter
week exceed by 4Si men the number the board had
announced as an expected nadmum tor the month
of September. The men are accepted for training
sailors, fremen, coal passers cooks and stew
ards, and Will be put aboard training ships at Bos-
ton. New York. Norfolk, New Orleans San Fran
cisco. Seattle and Cleveland.
Every little while one hears somebody ask.
-What Is this merchant marine we hear so much
about"
Nobody need feel ashamed If he does not readily
visualize this nlw commercial maritime force of
the country. The nation for many years past has
been building up such an admirable navy that
many people confuse the merchant marine with
-<+ha navy, thinking that al ships are under naval
control.
. no m m IL To from tba
navy II is, indeed, n navy In itself-a commercial
navy-of vessels engaged In business voyages.
The United States shipping board has charge of it,
and 1t is run n national business organization,
much the same as the nations great railroads are
run by the railroad administration.
The shipping board consists of five members
len of high training In business affairs appointed
from various parts of the country. It's chairman
is Edward N. Hurley Of Chicago. Its headquarters
are in a business building in Washington.
Control is exercised by this board over every
merchant ship of more than $500 tons sailing I'M
der the American flag. The vast shipbudng pro-
gram Of the cOuntry-resulting In 1.-The bridge Of
ships to Europe" which enables to send mil
lions of men to the fighting front and sustain them
there's In the hands of the shipping board. The
shipbuilding Is done by the Emergency Fleet cor.
pOraton, operated by the board. and directed by
Charles M Schwab q master mind In the stee,
world and known from coast to coast as business
genius Of the first order.
The merchant marine today is American to the
core.
American daring and seagOing ability are taking
our merchant ships safely across the seas and
back again with shuttelike regularity
All this Is being done by volunteers. who take
up the work because they recognize the greatness
Of the opportunity to help their country In a new
epoch of expansion.
The mariner In the merchant marine is not an
enlisted man. scratch OF the pen Is all that
k%la n. ito tnh. vat a. 10
It as II he were there by the operation of the
selective service law.
Every man working for the new merchant mn.
rne knows that his Is not merely war lob. i'm
portant thsug4 his work may be as part of his
country's mighty stroke for freedom The lob
will last after the return Of peace. It becomes
therefore, dOubly important.
Ship manning on a much greater scale than that
Of the present will begin when the war ends. for
at that time many merchant ships temporarily