Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1918-04-04
MERCHANT MARINE BRINGS
MARKET TO FARMERS DOORS
Great Fleet of Ships Necessary to
Haul Farm Products Abroad at
Low Freight Rates.

To the farmer in the Mississippi
valley, busy about his barns and out
buildings, the question of d merchant
marine seems very far away.
why" he occasionally asks himself,
should l be interested in steamships,
sailing from ports a thousand miles
away? l have never been to the At
lantic seaboard. Ships, whether sail
ing under the United States flag or
the Union Jack, concern me not at
ALL"
There is, however, a reason, and
good reason, why the farmer should
be interested in this governments eff
forts to put thousands of steel and
wooden ships aflOat as quickly as pos
sible.
The American farmer today is grow
ing wheat, corn, oats and other pro-
duce that must be transported abroad
to supply our own armies and those
OF our allies in France. When the
war is over the wheat, corn and oats
will continue to flow toward war
stricken Europe. With thousands of
ships to carry this produce, the
freight rates will be CORRESPONDENCE
cheaper than they would be with only
hundreds of bottoms available instead
of thousands.
The fact that freight rates are
cheaper will not, however, abate the
hunger Of the millions in Europe clam
y
The market there will remain the same
and the present loft prices will be lit
tie changed. If it costs the grain deal
er less to ship abroad, he will be able
to pay higher prices to the farmers.
The farmer is just as much interest
ed in cheap freight rates as he always
has been interested in cheaper freight
rates on land. His market lies, not in
Chicago and Minneapolis and Duluth,
where box car hauls his grain, it lies
thousands Of miles across the ocean
where ships are carrying his produce.
The farmer must help build ships and
cut his freight rates to Europe.
Someone sagely remarked (and many
wise men since have repeated the pro-
VERDI: ''In times of peace prepare
for war"
Germany has improved on the pro-
verb, or twisted it, and over in the
kaiser's realm it now reads: ''In times
of war prepare for peace" Germany
is not so intent on winning this war
that she has forgotten about the peace
10 hn ichc hoc
agreed, as a tentative policy, on a grant
of S375,O00,000 to facilitate the build
ing Of merchant ships. The bill pro-
vides that the vessels shall be available
within four years after peace is de-
clared.
In other words, the German govern
ment is determined, not only to win this
war, but to win commercial war to
follow, by providing bottoms to carry,
not only its own goods, but also the
commerce Of other nations whose ships
it is sinking every day.
The United States government has
wisely set about to Illustrate this
HohenZollern move, as much a military
project as the hurting Of new German
divisions against the French and Brit
ism lines in France and Flanders. This
government has instituted a shipbuild-
ing program that will supply Us with
steel and wooden fTeighters to carry
men, food, munitions and machinery
| to Europe in the course of the war and
after peace is declared. It needs mon
! ev for this great Shipbuilding plan, if it
is to defeat PrusSianism now and after
| the war. The American farmer not
only displays his patriotism by lending
the government money to pursue its
purpose, but conserves and builds his
! future interests.