New-York tribune., 1918-01-15
Ships From Japan
How Our Dickering Has Paralv,., ),
Allied Industry

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: In Frank II. Simonds's able fo..
the prospects and problems Of this s..s "
campaign last Sunday he stated thu.
Western offensive by the Germans ia MIX, W
and expressed the opinion that Geru..s
probably seek victories in minor se,s. WI
Salonica, or in an offensive against r.,
and Jerusalem. He pointed ont how ..''.
strain any Of these offensives would NJ.
Allied transport, "the most precious el.,.''
of ALL" 'a'
In the same issue of The Tribune Th.,,.-
M. knappen wrote: "That after mont,.
negotiations nothing has come Of the J.,..
csc effort to raise the embargo on Amor
+ iron and steel contracted for by Is,.,
really disaster for both nations, as Well :.
for the Allied cause. It means tia. j..
United States will have some hund,.a, y,
thousands less new tonnage in 1918. and !.
means the paralysis of the shipbudinv :.
dustry in Japan"
Later in the same article Mr.. Knappen s.,..
"Thc result (of the failure of the nerotis,;...
to lift the embargo) is that one of the al;..
nations, with many thousands G: skilled ill.,
builders and with capacity of 200, 600 ~.
year, is practically stopped from bu;ls;..
ships when ships are the sine cua non o; w.
tory for the Allies" and says of Amer...
offer to exchange steel for the privilee. =.
buying ships at a stipulated price: "sl7o
ton from the United States (for shinsl e..
which British shipping men were Willing >.
pay as much as s400 ton did not look ~,
attractive to the Japanese"
returned three weeks ago from bu,;,..,
trip to Japan and learned much of their .,,;
tude and feelings while | vas there H..
whole nation is stirred by the embarco ..s
by the consequent danger not only 10 on. n
their great industries but to their efficient a.
operation in the war, in which they are mo,,
eager to do thei- full share They resl,.
even more than they did during my last s.'
Journ in Japan several years ago. that th..
economic and political future depends lary.l,
upon cementing their relations with III,
country In every possible way
The Japanese do not understand whv !.
ships are invaluable, We are wasting tim.
dickering with them as to details and naralv,
ing their shipbuilding industry They do ro
understand why, if there is coordination =,
effort among the Allies, England is biddir,
more than twice as much as we are for lana,
csc SHIPS. hey cannot buIld ships rapid,
without American steel, but they have osers,
10 sacrlfce 80 per cent and more of the ma,
ket price of the ships to get the steel. and
have been unable to get steel ALREADY co.
tracted for
That Germany is fully alive to the imuo,
tance of the shipping situation and conf
gently counts on our lack of tonnage is show,
oy their secret censorship rules, made uubl,
oy the Department Of State this morning.
IS there not some way in which the break
ing OF this deadlock can be hasteaed and Jan
anese shlpyards set to work producing thi,
most precious element of alp for the win
nlng OF the war? Is not time more precious
.ie"ient than dollars, now that We are trying
10 exert this great effort across the seas and
have staked our very national existence 70
make the world safe for democracy?
ALEXANDER TISON.
New York, JAN g, 1918.