New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29
Bv Iheodorc NJ. knappen

WASHINGTON, Dee 2S.-The Ship
pius BOARD has q committee of its
officers at work on the problem OF the
disposition OF the great national mer-
camille marine fleet. built or building.
and the problems Of the future Of the
American merchant marine "a general,
both Of which demand early end scien-
tilic settlement if America is to take
advantage Of the magnificent interna-
tional opportunity thrust upon her by
the war.
This committee will Law before Con-
.eress a full review of different plans
of dealing with the matter of the ma
-ionallv owned feet, and viii urge an
carly decision, but will not, am IN
formed, indicate which method it would
prefer.
OF all the problems left by the war
It is conceded that that of the merchant
marine is the most momentous. On
the soundness OF the decision Will De
pend the ultimate late OF some Io,Voo'
900 to 10000 tons of government
owned shipping. 100000 tons OF PR
vatelv owned vessels, and America
future on the high seas
This fact is coming to be underStood
in Congress. Senator Ransdel 1, OF
Louisiana. has called national CON
ference on the subject to be held IN
Washington on January Is and IA, com
mercial bodies in all parts OF the coun-
trv are concerning themselves with IT.
and Il is expected that the Senate Com
merce Committee Will early so INTO
the matter with great thoroughness
Going Ahead With Building
In the meantime the Shipring Board
through the Emergency Fleet Corpora
ton. is going ahead with the pro-
qramme of shipbuildlng as lald down
during the war, except that II is nov
making new commitments. as 1t would
be doing were the war still gong on,
Tor the programme as war measure
had practically no limits except the
physical limitations OF American snip
building capacity 1t should be added,
however, flat though the size of the
programme remains practically what 1T
was when the armistice was signed, 1t
has been greatly modified to meet the
requirements of peace time commerce.
Thus wooden ships contracts that
have not reached a certain stage OF
iultiiment are being cancelled, and al
tertaions are being made IN steel ships
20 make the new merchant marine as
we'll balanced as possible III view OF
completed or viii have to be com
pcted substantially originally
planned.
Work has so far proceeded on a
total programme Of about i 100000
5ons that the losses would be so great
from an effort to curtail the number
Of ships and tonnage that the Ship
ping Board has no intention OF making
such an attempt. ard it is not believed
that Congress viii do so.
The Programme in Figures
The total shipbuilding authorize
ions to date by Congress amount tc
the stpnendous sum OF S3,6I ,000, 900
and under those authorizations the
actual commitments amount to $3,447
600 geo The actual appropriations arc
more than S2,635 600 600, and eXpendi
tures to date are about SLIGO 100000
Outside of S120000,0O0 for housing
drydocks and transportation lines, tn
whole OF these great sums are goin,
into ships that viii be owned by IA
government OF the United States, aH
they are calculated to give us 3.1l
ships, of a total deadweight tonnag
OF 1888 ,045.
The problem, then before Congress
and the nation, assuming that it is to-
ate and not advisable 10 restrict tn
present programme. IS what to do witt
SIG ships owned by the Shipping
Board and worth according to cost
about $500 .GOO,Gp0. BY way of com
parison it might be SAID that this sun
represents about nine times the cos
Of the Panama Canal.
Three Possible Courses
There alc three general course tina
- may be followed
FIRST The government may con
tlnue to own and operate them.
~ Second The government may re
tain the ownership and lease them