The Twin City star., 1918-11-09

portion to the cOuntry's 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
ships. Foreign seamen chiefly manned what ves-
sells 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 shipbuilding. 1t
will soon lead the world with its seagoing citizens.
Thousands Of young Americans are tRrning to the
sea every month. The old era Of the square-rig-
gers. to which friends of the American merchant
marine fondy refer, Is 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-
nomena jump in September recruiting for the
merchant marine reported by the United States
shipping board from Washington in the following
bulletin:
An increase OF l91 per in a MONTH in thsg3
nnmber Of recruits for the merchant marine signed
o. the United States shipping board was reported
by the board The figures covering four weeks end
ing September u. follows: Week ending
August q. sia men; August 2s l,77s; September 5.
week exceed by 4S4 the number the board had
announced an expected maxmurn for the month
Of September. The men are accepted for training
rs 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
abOutY'
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 an 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 II is, indeed, a navy In itself-a commercial
) navy-of vessels engaged In business voyages.
The United States shipping board has charge of It,
and 1t 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
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 $500 tons sailing un-
der the American flag. The vast shipbuilding pro-
gram Of the country-resuting 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
shdpbuilding Is done by the Emergency Fleet cor
poration, operated by the board, and directed by
Charles M. Schwab, master mind in the steel
world and known from coast to coast as q 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 tha opportunity to help their country In q 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 as firmly fixed in
It as If he were there by. the operation Of the
selective service law.
Every man working for the new merchant ma.
rine knows that his is not merely war Job I'm
portnnt though his work may be part of his
Z country's mighty stroke for freedom. The Job
will last after the return of peace. 1t becomes.
therefore, doubly important.
shin manning on much greater scale than that
4 OF the present will begin when the ends, for
at that time many merchant ships temporarily
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