New-York tribune., 1918-06-11
u. .toHave
25,o0o,oo0 Ton
rade Fleet
Merchant Marine in 1920
To Be Greatest in His
tory, Says Hurley

SOUTH BEND, Ind, June 10.-Amer-
ica in 1920, will have a merchant ma
rine of 25,ooo,o00 deadweight tons,
Chairman Hurley, of the Shipping
Board, declared here tonight in an
address giving the most complete
statement Of the nations shipbuilding
programme which has yet been made
public. He was speaking to the grad
yates of Notre Dame University.
This great commerce fleet, Mr.. Hur-
ley said, the largest ever assembled in
the history Of the world, and involving
the expenditure of more than $5,O0O,-
100000, will link the United States to
South and Central America by weekly
steamer service which will enable the
Latin-American countries to utilize
their unlimited natural resources in
the freest competition with other ma
tions. 1t also will bridge the Pacific
for the transportation Of the products
of Japan, Russia, China, Australia and
the Orient, and will continue to pro-
mote Americas trade with Europe.
Will Serve Humanity
And, with it all, he added, American
ships "will serve humanity loyalty and
unselfishly on the same principles of
liberty and justice which brought
about the establishment of this Re-
public.
"The vast merchant feet we are
building" said Mr.. Hurley, "must be-
come the greatest instrument of inter-
national probity, honesty and square
dealing at the close of the war. 1t
must become the vast and vital ma
chine whereby America will prevent
the oppression of the weak by the
strong. The crushing of right by
might"
Mr.. Hurley said he and Director
General Schwab Of the Emergency
Fleet Corporation, expected the ship
ping output this year to exceed 3.o00,-
600 deadweight tons, while next year
the nations tremendous new shipbuild-
ing industry will be capable of turning
out 13.51S.O00 deadweight tons. more
than Great Britain, heretofore the
greatest builder of ships. has com
pleted in any five years of her his
tory.
"1t was before the formation of the
present shipping board" Mr.. Hurley
continued, that Secretary McAdoo in
sisted that our pioneering upon the
seas must in the future be done by an
interest having boundless resources. an
interest that has a single purpose
the general welfare of the United
States as a whole. Obviously, there
is but one such interest, and that is
the government of the United States.
1,400 Ships on June
con the first of June we had in.
creased the Amercan-b built tonnage to
over 100000 deadweight tons of ship
ping. This gives US total Of more
tnan 1,400 ships, with an approximate
total deadweight tonnage Of 100000
tons now under the control of the
United States Shipping Board.
"In round numbers. and from all
sources, we have added to the Ameri-
can flag since our war against Ger
many began, nearly 100000 tons OF
shipping. We are adding to this ton
i
overoptimistic in saying that our ton
mage output will continue to increase
until before this year closes We will be
turning out half million tons each
month
"Our programme calls for the build.
ing of 1856 passenger, cargo, refrig-
orator ships and tankers, ranging from
5000 to 10000 tons each. with an ag-
gregate deadweight Of $4,000 900. Ex.
elusive Of these, we have 245 comman.
deered vessels, taken over from foreign
and domestic owners, which are being
completed by the Emergency Fleet
Corporation. These will aggregate q
total deadweight tonnage of lib 900.
"This makes total Of 2,101 vessels
exclusive Of tugs and barges, which
are being built and will be put on ths
seas by the Emergency Fleet Corpora
| tion in the course Of carrying out the
present programme, with an aggregate
! deadweight tonnage of 14,715.0OO.
give billion dollars will be required
to finish our programme for 1918, 1915
and 1920, but the expenditure of this
enormous sum will give to the Amer,
lean people the greatest merchant Ace,
ever assembled in the history of the