The patriot. (Glenmora, La.) 1918-1955, 1918-11-08

II II
l( IN NJ chant ships"
VIA M This is the slogan of tSe United
tSIER ~ States shipping board, which has In
t~EI hand the great task of creating an
fS4s5N4 adequate personnel for our new mer-
| N chant marine.
I In years past, whenever the subject
of creating merchant marine In pro-
portion to the country's commercial Importance
came up, the question was raised: How are we
going to get men for American shipsT
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 yes
sells we 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. It
will soon lead the world with its seagong citizens
Thousands Of young Americans are turning to the
sea every month. The old era of the sQuare-rig
gers, to which friends of the American merchant
marine fondly 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-
nomenal jump In September recruiting for the
merchant marine reported by the United States
shipping board from Washington, in the following
bulletin:
An increase Of ls1 per cent in month, in the
number of recruits for the merchant marine signed
on the United States shipping board, was reported
by the board The figures covering four weeks enc
ing September u, follows: Week ending
August q, si3 men; August %. LTD; September s.
2ss7: September T. 44sA The figures for the latter
week exceed by 4S4 the number the board had
announced q expected maximum for the month
OF September. The men are accepted for training
ards and win be put aboard training ships at Bos
I ton. New York, Norfolk. New Orleans San Fran
cisco. Seattle and Cleveland
Every little while one hears somebody ask,
AWhat 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 ell ships are under naval
control.
The merchant marine is quite distinct from the
navy It is. indeed, navy In itself-a commercial
navy--of vessels engaged In business voyages.
The United States shipping board has charged It.
md ii is run as national business organization.
much the same as the nations great railroads are
run by the railroad administration.
The shipping board consists OF i've 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
der the American flag. The vast shipbuilding pro
gram of the country-resulting in 1.-The bridge Of
ships to Europe" which enables us to send mil
lions Of men to the lighting front and sustain them
tnere--is In the hands OF the shipping board The
bodybuilding is done by the Emergency Fleet cor
poration. operated by the board. and directed by
Charles NJ Schwab. master mind In the steel
world aTSd known from coast to coast as business
genius Of the first order.
The merchant marine today Ii American to the
core.
American daring and seagoing ability are taking
eur merchant ships safely across the seas and
back again with shuttlelike regularity.
ALI this Is being done by volunteers who take
uu the work because they recognize the greatness
of the opportunity TO help their country In 4 new
epoch OF expansion.
The mariner ii the merchant marine is not an
enlisted man. A scratch Of the pen IL all that
bihds him TO his job: yet he Is az firmly dxed In
Il Al II he we're there By the operation OF the
selective service law.
Every man working for the new merchant ma.
rine knows that bis Ii not merely q war Job, Inn
poftant though his work may be as part Of his
rdnnfryss mighty stroke for freedom The tob
van last after this return of peace. 1t becomes
thcfefofe. doubiy important
shin manning o. much greater scale than TINT
of Tie present win begin when the war ends, for
AZ thar time many merchant ships temporarily