Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-08-18
Vessels Arrive and Depart ali
 U. s. Ports Every Six Minutes
Merchant Fleet of 15O0 Ships Under Control of Shipping Board Run Under Schedule Similar to
 Railroad

minutes a merchant vessel arrives and another departs from American ports. From North Atlantic seaports, there is . departure every eleven minutes !: and one for Europe every forty minu- tes This rate of operation does not include vessels in the service of the Army or Navy.
 The merchant fleet of 1,500 ships under the control of the Shipping Board are run as railroads on time schedule. The duty of measuring ships performances with their tasks is lodg- ed with the Planning and Statistics Division of the EQuipping Board headed by E. H. Gay, formerly dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Business.
 Obviously, the division must know the tasks in details, and so it co-ordin- ates with the War Industries and War Trade Boards in determining and pro- viding for the country's needs from ahfoad. It works on month schedu- les or as far in advance as 1t is feasi- bic or possible to forecast.
 In planning the use of ships, the division works with the Food Admin istration in determining the shippitg requirements for food; with the War department in correlating shipping with the requirements of the line of supplies to the Western front; with the War Industries Board in seeking solution of the problem of bringing necessary raw imports into the coun- try: and with the War Trade Board in. preparing the lists of essential im- ports and exports.
 As the country has gone more and more on war basis, it has been re- garded necessary to limit the list of essential imports to less than a hum dred. Data on the ships and their trade provides the basis for operation of the vessels under the Shipping Boards control. Likewise, records are kept of neutral vessels coming to this country or linking up with it's for eign trade. Thus the divisions checks daily about 1000 vessels, 1500 of them being those of the Shipping Board, 3, GOO engaged directly in American commerce and 2,5OO scattered over the globe and trading for the most part with the Allies or their colonies Roughly, one-fourth of the merchant ships of the world are watched by the Shipping Board. I
 Ship performances against tasks are recorded by progress charts, which show at glance what the ves- sells have to do and how they are doing 1t. Each set of charts is divid. Cd into ten divisions-one each fol movements of vessels turn-arounds shipcharts of commodities, individua commodity charts, summary of i'm ports, individual trades, summary ot trades, ship charts of exports, perfor mances in ports, and dock perform ances. Copies are distributed every ten days to governments which re quire constant information about tho movement of supplies.
 By these movement charts, all in formation regarding locations ant movements of vessels is accessible aud from past records due may fore cast the time of future voyages.
 The summary of shipping and trade prepared every ten days for the Wal Industries and War Trade Boards ant the Food Administration, help shape the larger policies underlying the use of American ships in war time The charts tell whether the ships al l0ted to certain trade are enough too many or too few; whether they bring in too little, or too much; whetl CT they are on time; ahead of time o1 behind time; and whether the trade movement is too slow, too fast or just right. The charts also serve to guide the Ship Control, committee in !. tht assignment of fsvessel to various trade B. comparing import requirement: against deliveries, the charts show when vessels may be transferred iron one trade to another or released tt the Army.