The patriot. (Glenmora, La.) 1918-1955, 1919-04-18

crarnped forecastIe from their new boats ana are
putting in quarters featuring comforts that were
unknown in the old sailing days
Hereafter the business of being sailor Will not
be the disagreeable job it was before and during
the war The pay is going to be better-frst In
the American boats and later in the foreign trade
1t will be the same proposition as business mousse
(America) introducing industrial reforms and CIV
ing higher pay and enlarged opportunity, thereby
virtually Obliging rival concerns (Great Britain
and the other shipping powers) TO maintain the
same wage schedules and reforms in order TO Keep
their employees satisfied.
That the 'stoker class of sailors, the men who
tended the coal-burning boilers in a Superheated
ireroom. will disappear almost entirely now seems
to be foregone conclusion. In their places will
be men tending fuel-oil furnaces by watching set
of valves and gauges and doing none of the ter
rlble physical exertion that was necessary for the
old-fashioned coal-burning ships. Fuel oil has
come to stay. as have Oil engines for merchant
ships Use of either Of these modern power gen.
orators eliminates the oldtime stoker aboard ship
the worst class of labor needed.
In place of the old-fashioned sailor will come in
due unexpectedly much sooner than we expect
the trained ship worker, whose position In the
world will be infinitely higher than his predeces-
sor.
Lots of criticism is heard regarding the ships
American yards turned out during the rush of
war work. Many of them leaked; the rivets were
not put in carefully-there was not enough time.
Europe had to be fed-armes in the field needed
munltions-time was at a premium.
American shipping men do not consider our war
built ships as fair examples of what our yards
can turn out and are predicting with much as
surance. that Amercan-built boats will be as
stanch as Americas steel buildings.
America Now Leads World.
Today America leads the world in ship build.
ing The neutral nations ran out of steel and are
not competitors The French and Italians are
building only relatively small number of boats
The British counting nearly 200 boats being built
in Canada and other British dominions, have about
600 boats under way, total OF little more than
100000 tons. America has almost twice as many
being built, totaling about three and half million
tons, and we are "just getting started"
Government ownership of shipping is a policy
priyate ship owners are fighting In America ant
England as well. Lord Inchcape, president of ths
British chamber of shipping and chairman of the
great British ship concern the Peninsular ant
Oriental company, has emphatically stated he viii
sell ont his large interests in British shipping &C
tivities If government ownership and control are tt
be continued indefinitely.
If is understood, on American authority here IL
Paris. that government control of American ship
ming is to last only relatively short time-unti
the defunct law Of supply and demand has agail
gone into operation when the world trade routes
have been reconstructed from the havoc wrough
by war;
1t is expected, however. that the American
government will always stand committed to a poll
cv of shin control on certain definite phases of thu
business For instance, the government shOul'
not he expected to permit rival ship lines flynn
the American flag to embark on cut-throat compel
tive nrogramS for business. 1t would be agains
the governments poicy-after the days of rig
control have passed-to permit rival ship line
70 operate more ships ON given trade line thai
tho tonnage of that route demanded.
More American ships mean more naval vessels
our navy must be maintained so as to compar
favorably in size with the merchant fleet. Not tina
we are making ready for an era of excessive arma
ments.
This much is settled. however: America Is be
GINNING her career as a great maritime power, an
the American government is going to try to max
tho life of our sailors comfortable as well PAL
and as respectable as the life of any well-pai
o,nn,oyee In a modern American business concern
t,ur young men of this generation and the con
Ing decades then will gradually become create
world travellers than they have been since the earl
days Of our republic and America probably wi
never regain the feeling of isolation from worl
affairs she had before her entry into the great wa