The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1918-12-14


In years past whenever the subject
of creating merchant marine in pro-
portion to the countrys commercial importance
came up, the question raised How are
going to get men for American ships7
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 YES
sells we had. Our shipyards 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 now leads the world In shipbulding. 1t
will lead the world with its seagoing citizens
Thousands Of young Americans are turning to the
sea every month. The old era of the square-rig-
gers, to which friends Of the American merchant
marine fondly refer, is rapidly being dwarfed By
what is taking place In 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 ~ 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
1ng September IL, follows Week ending
August e. sis men; August %. LTD; September &
1ee7; September H. 44S4 The figures for the latter
week exceed by "a men the number the board had
announced as an expected maximum for the month
OF September. The men accepted for training
a. sailors hremen. 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
aboutr
Nobody need feel ashamed If he does not readily
visualize this new 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
Als- IIcI,tv,.
control.
The merchant marine is quite distinct from the
navy. 1t is, indeed, navy in itself-a commercial
navy-of vessels engaged In business voyages.
The United States shipping board has charge of it.
and it Is run as a national business organization
much the same the nations great railroads are
run by the railroad administration.
The shipping board consists Of five members.
men Of high training in business affairs appointed
from various parts Of the country. Its chairman
ls Edward N. Hurley Of Chicago. Its headquarters
are in a business building in Washington.
Control is exercised by this board every
merchant ship Of more than $500 tons sailing I'M
der the American flag. The vast shipbulding pro-
gram of the country-resulting in "the bridge Of
ships to Europe" which enables US to send mil
lions of men to the fighting front and sustain them
there's in the hands of the shipping board. The
shpbuilding is done by the Emergency Fleet cor
poration, operated by the board. and directed by
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 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 a new
apoch of expansion
The mariner In the merchant marine Is not an
enlisted man. scratch Of the pen Is all that
binds him to his job; yet he is as firmly fixed In
AZ az If he were there by the operation Of the
selective service law.
Every man working for the new merchant ma.
zine knows that his Is not merely q war job, i'm
portant though his work may be as part Of his
country's mighty stroke for freedom. The job
will last after the return Of peace. 1t becomes,
therefore, doubly important.
Ship manning on q much greater scale than that
az the present will begin when the war ends. for
at that time many merchant ships temporarily