The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-08-12
Stars and Stripes to Equal Brit
ish Union Jack Over Cargo
Ships After War.
ROBERT DOLLAR
GIVES HIS VIEW
Glowing Prediction of Pioneer
Inspired by Launching of
First Craft at Hog Island.
Washington Bureau.
The Pensacola Journal.
By GEORGE II. MANNING.

By GEORGE II. MANNING.
Washington, ID. c., Aug. 1.-THE
American flag will fly over as many
cargo ships the British Union Jack
by the time the war is over, predicts
Robert Dollar, a pioneer American
shipping man in Pacific waters.
Mr. Dollars glowing prediction was
inspired by the launching of the first
ship, the Quistconck, from Hog Island
yards last Monday. Americas unpar-
alleled output of ships, Mr.. Dollar said,
will give her a merchant marine rivall-
ing Great Britains in all the five seas.
Other pertinent points made by Mr..
Dollar in long interview with the
Pensacola Journal correspondent in
the course of the journey on the Presi-
dents special train to Hog Island
where Mrs Wilson christened the
Quistconck last Monday were
l. Japan has territorial ambitions in
the Far East and wanted to send
purely Japanese military expedition in
to Russia which would eventually have
claimed Siberia part of the jap
anese empire and shut off Russia en-
tirely from the ocean. German propa-
ganda in the United States and other
allied countries was urging hurried
start for the allied force into Russia
in the belief that an expedition sent
in then would arouse opposition from
Russia and thereby assist Germany.
2 The American merchant marine
will never flourish under the present
United States seamans act, and other
laws must be passed by Congress.
g. In spite of the tremendous ad-
vances made in shipbuilding methods
in American yards since the war began,
America cannot now and probably
never viii, be able to build ships for
less than twice the price they can be
built in England.
4. G.. A. Muhfeld, vice president OF
Stone and Webster, and vice president
of the American International Cor
poration, which is building the ships at
Hog Island. the biggest shipyard the
world has ever seen, got his start with
those concerns 90 years ago through
letter of recommendation from Mr..
Dollar.
s. Senator Hiram Johnson of Cali
fornia who has Presidential ambitions,
was instrumental in having Hog Island
Investigated in order to further his
own political ends.
6. There will be a great scramble
among the industrial nations for the
trade of the Orient after the war and
America and the other nations must
keee a sharp eye open for German COM
mercial intrigue.
Robert Dollar, president of the Dol
lar Steamship Company. which has
done more than any other concern to
float the Stars and Stripes in the Or
lent. is picturesque figure. He wears
the old-fashioned Yankee chin whis-
kers and although nearly 10 years old,
stands as erect to his 6-feet stature as
most men of half his age.
The man who for twenty-five years
has been the leading operator of ships
in the Pacific Ocean came to the Uni
ted States as an immigrant from Fall
kirk, Scotland, midway between Edin-
burg and Glasgow, when only twelve
years old. He first went to Canada and
obtained work in the lumber camps
later drifting over the line into Michi-
gan. About thirty years ago. he told
the correspondent, in reviewing his
life, he went to California and laid the
foundation for the line of cargo steam
ships which bears his name
president Wilson made a masterful
diplomatic stroke when he delayed the
plans for starting the allied military
expedition into Siberia to help the
Czecho-Slavs until he obtained ap-
prevail of his own plans that would
prevent the japanese from grabbing
off Siberia from Russia and making it
a part of the Mikados Empire, Mr.
Dollar declared in the conversation
with the correspondent
When the plans for aiding the Rus
slams were first discussed Japan had
1,o0o, 600 waiting in Korea for the ex-
pedition," he continued with these
men she would have swept Siberia and
IL might have been impossible to get
her out Japan's plan is TO get pos
session of that portion of Siberia lying
east of the line from Harbin to the
Bering Sea and cut Russia completely
on from the ocean. The delaying of
the start of the allied forces into ST.
IBERIA was good stroke for another
reason. II the allied military force
had started into Russia when the agi
tation for il commenced. the Russians
would have turned out in force to
check It. German agents were urging
hurried expedition because they knew
Russia would oppose il and she could
lCauti0Faed IN pa0c Txx-o