American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-05-02

capable of carrying half of Its national imports
and exports.
lie used to draw n picture of a theoretically
perfect balance in this important economic ques-
ton. For the sake of illustrating his point,
Franklin would state that a fair balance, in the
ship business, could always be maintained If ware
houses, put half way across an ocean, served as
points of interchange for the overseas trade be-
tween two nations. One nation would take, In It's
own ships, all Of its goods for export and leave
them at the warehouse-thls imaginary point In
the middle of the sea-. There the ship would load
up with goods from the second nation and haul
them back home. Ships of the other nation would
follow the same program.
Naturally enough midocean warehouses are. a
physical impOsslbility. And no two nations could
ever have anything like equal tonnage to ex-
change. For all practical purposes, except in the
matter of framing policies, the Franklin scheme is
blackboard stuff, very useful in explaining the
theory of foreign trade to a schoOlroom, but Of no
vital Importance to the shlp-buildlng engineer or
foreign trader.
All Cannot Be Shipping Nations.
Then the whole world cannot be guided by the
Franklin idea. Many nations are unable to get
@ntO the shipping game seriously. They lack ma
;erials for shipbullding, perhaps, or they lack
Geep-water ports open the year around. Russia,
ander the czars, made a 300-year-long fight for a
i~eep-water port open u months out of every year.
Switzerland has no ports. Italy lacks steel and
Oui ll operating Hhip5 hhu Sp the bAOiJ
goes. Most nations for one reason or another
keep out Of the big shipping game on account Of
aatural obstacles.
In this very situation, what might be termed the
economic and political misfortunes Of the smaller
nations work to the advantage of the bigger mari
time nations. helping their ship business.
Today, America and Great Britain have en-
tirely different policies on the problem Of world
shipping. We are going into the game. according
to our shipping experts here In Paris for the
peace conference, because 1t is of vital importance
for the future of America to own and operate a
fleet big enough to carry 80 per cent of our exports
and imports. Such a program is almost manda-
tory for the future prosperity of the United States.
We need a merchant marine to complete our al
ready enormous Industrial system, our chain Of
big factories. We need ships to haul our grain to
foreign lands TO transport our raw materials. We
must not face the future placing ourselves at the
mercy of any other nations ships and shipping
interests, our shipping officials say.
In this war-just ended with the defeat Of Ger
many-the whole world had a concrete example
of what ships mean to a nation. Japan, by gain.
ing for a time the shipping supremacy In the Pa
/ cihc, has beensable to almost paralyze Chinese for
eign trade with America and boost japanese trade
with the United States by the simple expedlenI
OF operating Japanese-owned ships for the benefit
of Japan: a thing she had every right to do. There
a were not enough ships to 90 around-and tn,
:, japanese adopted the policy that Chinese trad,
should suffer rather than japanese.
i This condition will rapidly right itself but fl
g the meantime the Chinese had TO suffer in silence
$ There are dozens of other examples that ship
plpg men point TO by way of illustrating the neces
: atty for America to go into the shipping business