Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-11-14

| { IA V chant s~iiE.,."
WA V This Is the slogan Of the United
aNE~ States shipping board, which has IN
z@El hand the great task Of creating an
ADEQUATE personnel for our new mer.
1871 chant marine.
- In wears past. whenever the subject
of creating d merchant marine In pro-
portion to the ~rountry's commercial Importance
came up, the question was raised; no" are We
going to get men for American sh!psf'
Young Americans had got out Of the way or 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 NIL that. The change has
been little short of magical. The United States OK
America now leads the world In shipbuilding. 1t
will soon lead the world with its seagoing citizens
Thousands of young Americans are turning to the
sea every month, The Old era Of the s1uare-rlg-
gers. to which friends OF the American merchant
marine fondly refer, Is rapidly being dwar1eu ny
what Is taking place in our merchant marine To-Day
AS an example Of the extraordinary change going
on In the matter Of crews, may be cited q pne'
uomenal Jump in September recruiting LOT te
merchant marine reported by the ohileu ot"'es
shippinx board from Washington. In the following
bulletin:
An increase of 41 per cent in a month, IN the
nNmher of recruits TOT the WeTCHhit tidiHho oisneS
on the United States shipping board. was Reported
BIZ the board. The figures covering four weeks emo
Ing September II. are as follow: week na.ns
Aurust q s3 men: August %. l,Ti9: september },
aso7: september 10, 4.4s4. The figures for the natter
week exceed by 4S4 men the number the noard hao
Announced as an expected maximum for the montn
~ ssntember. The men are accepted for training
- sailors. hreinen. coal passcrs COOKS anu s "
ards, and will DO I put aS0as Nsw ,fa orlesn s"'s San ! Fran.
cisco, Seattle and Cleveland.
..., li,. a-n hnoro ncnnhnNv max.
aWhat IA this merchant marine we hear 30 mucn
aboutY'
Nohody need feel ashamed If he does not readily
v4.ral,ze this new commercial maritime force OK
the country. The nation for many years past mas
heen building up such IN admirable navy uat
MANY people confuse the merchant marine Win
tho navy. thinking that all ships are under naval
control.
oavv. II Is, indeed, q navy In itself-a commercial
navv-of vessels engaged In business voyages
Tho United States shipping board has charge OF It,
ana n ia run as a national business organization
much the same as the nations great railroads are
run by the railroad administration.
Tho shipping board consists Of five members,
aen Of high training In business affairs, appointed
from various parts Of the country. Its chairman
IA Edward N. Hurley Of Chicago. Its headquarters
are In a business building in Washington.
Control IL 6xeTCIseu w All "oA~ WV ~'~s
merchant ship Of more than 1900 tons sailing I'M
dor the American flag. The vast shipbuilding pro-
ram Of the country-resulting In the bridge OF
ehips 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
shipbuildlng is done by the Emergency Fleet cor
%noration. operated by the board, and directed by
Charles NJ, Schwab, a master mind In the steel
world and known from coast to coast as u business
ssuius Of the first order.
The merchant marine today u American to the
core.
American daring and seagoing ability are taking
our merchant ships safely across the seas and
Aect again with shuttlelike regularity.
All this IL being done by volunteers, who TAXI
nm tho work because they recognize the greatness
AZ the opportunity to help their country IN q new
>poch Of expansion.
nhs mariner In the merchant marine IL not a.
.ciisted man, A scratch Of the pen Is all tina,
sands him to his Job; yet he IL as firmly fixed u
4 a n he were there by the operation OF tn
~selective service law.
EVERY man working for the new merchant ma
,ne knows that his IL not merely o war joo. im
norfnnt though his work may DO az part OF M
countryp mighty stroke for freedom. Inc jon
viii last after the return Of pence. 1t becomes
therefore, doubly important. ~
ship manning on a much greater scale tnnn ina
~ Tho present will begin when the war ends' 70
AZ that time many merchant ships temporary