The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1918-06-20
AMERICA THE NEW
MARITIME POWER

HINDENBURG bids the German
4 people look at the map, but if there
were anyone in Germany to bid them
look at the figures of American ship
tonnage as disclosed by Edward N.
Hurley, chairman of the Unit
ed States Shipping board, they would
realize who is winning this war. Mr..
Hurley tells us that Albert BALM, the
great German shipping master, crea-
tor of Germany's merchant marine,
whose flag was on every sea before the
war, is a broken man. He was OPP
posed to the war, for he saw that
nothing the war lords promised could
possibly compensate Germany for the
loss of her overseas trade, which was
inevitable. Germany as manufac-
turing nation must have raw mater
ials. The flow Of them would stop with
the destruction of her seaborne COM
merce. Ballin's protests were un-
availing. He was overruled, fell into
disfavor, retired from the councils of
the kaiser and is now said to be a
wreck in health as in fortune.
What BALM predicted has come to
pass. In the year before the war. Mr..
Hurley tells, Germany's three ports
Of Hamburg, Bremen and Bremerhav-
en- entered and cleared more than 1914
million tons Of shipping, counting
overseas commerce alone. This COM
merce represented a money value of
| u billion dollars, while the total ex-
ports from all American ports in the
same year represented only 2ls bill
ion dollars, and 80 per cent of this
American commerce was carried in
foreign ships.
Today Germany doesn't float mer-
liant ship on any sea. Her ports are
,losed, her industries, except for war,
it standstill, and every overseas
which formerly took her ex-
,orts and from which she received her t
'aw materials either is at war with J
Ter or has severed all relations. {
America, which had no merchant ma I
inc when Germany provoked her to |
var, is now. Mr.. Hurley tells US, on i
he way to becoming the worlds v
,reatest maritime power. Before the c
ear is out we will be putting " I
million tons of new ships into the I
water every month. They are now t
uilding on ISL shipways, which will y
DON be increased to 819, and when all I
re occupied to capacity, each way '
ill be able to launch three ships a e
ear. By 1920, Mr.. Hurley predicts,
he American flag will float over 20 v
,illion tons of shipping. v
What this great fleet will mean in
ne new relationship America will hold O
, the world must be apparent. 1t will Il
e used, Mr.. Hurley says, to "serve
Loyalty and unselfishly." 1t y
ill bind Central and South America c,
, us by new ties. 1t will carry our n
roducts across the Pacific to Russia, el
hina and Japan. 1t will bring Eu- T
,pe closer to US and cement the new a.
,nds with France, England and Italy f.
hich the war has formed. On the to
alton possessing such a merchant h,
set, which Mr.. Hurley says will be l
Ie greatest ever assembled in the F
story of the world, will rest a great II
sponsibility in the exercise of the W
,wer it will bestow. 1t will have cost o'
billion dollars, furnished by the W
merican people, and will be owned by hs
EN- and operated by their govern ey
emit. None can doubt that, as the ar
ipping board chairman has pledged, of
e responsibility will be met by W,
aking our merchant marine serve ha
e world upon the same principles Of 70
erty and justice which brought tn
out the establishment of this free m,