Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1918-11-09


portion to the countrys commercial Importance
came up, the question raised: "How are we
going to get men for American ships"
Young Americans had got out of the way of sea-
going. The country did not think in terms of i
ships Foreign seamen chiefly manned what veS-
sells we had. Our shpyards could not compete
with foreign yards.
The has changed all that The change has
been little short of magical The United States of
America now leads the world in skipbuilding 1t
will soon lead the world with its seagoing citizens
Thousands of young Americans are turning to the
every month. The old era of the square-rig-
gers, to which friends of the American merchant
zn1rine fondy refer,lis 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 4s1 per cent In a month, in the
number of recruits for the merchant marine signed
on the United States shipping board. reported
by the board The figures covering four weeks end
ting September u. are as follows: Week ending
August e. s3 men: August 49, 1.779; September 5,
26S7 September IL, ABA The figures for the latter
week exceed by 4s4 men the number the board had
announced expected maximum for the month
of September The men accepted for training
sailors firemen. coal passers. cooks and stew
ards. and will be put aboard training ships 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 commercial maritime force of
the country. The nation for many years past has
been building up such admirable navy that
many people confuse the merchant marine with
the navy, thinking that all ships are under naval
control.
The merchant marine is quite distinct from the
navy. 1t is, indeed. a navy in tself-a commercial
The United States shipping board has charge Of It,
and 1t is run national business organization
much the same as the nations great railroads are
run by the railroad administration.
The shipping board consists Of five members
of high training in business AFFAIRS appointed
from various parts of the country Its chairman
Is Edward N. Hurley of Chicago. Its headquarters
are In business building in Washington.
Control Is exercised by this board over every
merchant ship of more than 800 tons sailing I'M
der the American flag. The vast shipbuildng pro-
gram of the country-resulting In 1.-THE bridge of
ships to Europe" which enables US to send mil
lions of 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 master mind in the steel
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
merchant ships safely the seas and
back again with shuttlelike 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 new
epoch of expansion.
The mariner In the merchant marine is not an
enlisted man. A scratch Of the pen is all that
binds him to his job yet he is firmly fixed in
1t as If he were there by the operation of the
tpelective service law.
Every man working for the merchant ma
rine knows that his is not merely war job I'M
i,ortant though his work may be as part of his
countrys mighty stroke for freedom. The Job
will last after the return Of peace. 1t becomes
therefore, doubly important.
Snip manning on much greater scale than that
of the present will begin when the war ends, for
ut that tims many merchant ships temporarily