Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-03-23

greatest maritime power of the earth,
for the reason that we possess the
greatest shipbuilding instrumental
ties"
Mr. Hurley stated that Great Bri-
tain suffered net loss in the war
| of 3,443,00O gross tons, amounting TO
lis per cent of her entire tonnage.
/ Other nations which suffered heavy
/ losses include Norway, which lost L.
| 17S,335 gross tons; France, 907, 1GS
gross tons: Italy S52,124 gross tons;
Greece, 337,545 gross tons; Denmark,
239.922 gross tons, and Sweden, 201,-
| 73S.
Every effort is being made by each
of these nations, Mr.. Hurley asserted,
to regain their former maritime
| standing.
"The study of the Shipping Board
experts revealed teeming ambition
| among other powers to achieve a
| higher standing" said the report. "ln
almost every country the desire eS-
| lists not only to replace war losses
! but to add new totals to be used in
the work of reconstruction and in de-
veloping new foreign trade.
Even Switzerland has not escaped
! this desire to acquire a merchant
marine. Ships will be acquired as
soon as canal improvements are made
on the Rhine"
America Can Come Back.
| The chief interest now centers on
the question of whether the United
States can henceforth maintain her
new place upon the seas, or whether
she must disband the energies that
brought her merchant fleet into be-
ing.
There is every reason" Mr. 1lr-
! lev continued, "for believing that
| America has come back upon the
ocean-to stay. My observations
| compel optimism.
"The war has brought us into a
| high place as a maritime power.
find the peoples of the world aroused
! to an intense interest and concern as
! to the use we are to make of this
| power.
| "In America, you have heard much
of British competition. In Great Bril-
! tain | heard a great deal more about
| American competition. The truth Us
! that our friends across the water are
for the first time entering upon a
period of actual competition. In our
praise of British seamanship anu
British operating ability we have been
prone to ignore the advantages which
| lay on the side of the ships which
| flew the Union Jack.
81 have no misgivings about the
era of competition which is coming.
The obstacles of ineXperlence will
/ quickly give way before American in
dustral strength and energy. 1t is
4 new age of ocean transportation as
well as of public policy. 1t is an age
in which new conditions will rule and
\ old advantages will become inopera-
tive. 1t is an age of promise for those
who would participate in America S
high destiny upon the seas"
Mr.. Hurley said prior to August,
1914, both the foreign trade and the
shipping of the United States were
dominated to q great extent by British
because American traders and ship
could do so most conveniently through
| British agencies. In 1915. he recall
ed only one-seventh of the foreign
trade of the United States was car
/ ried in American bottoms.
1.-THE total exports and imports of
the United States for the year 1915
were approximately 5O,000,000 long
tons said the report. with average
shipping efficiency the movement OF
these goods would have required
about 100000 gross tons of ships.
Assuming an annual increase in
the foreign trade of the United States
/ equal to the average increase for the
five years preceding August 1914, oul
foreign trade in 1920 would require
greatly increased merchant tonnage
if it all were to be carried in Ameri.
can bottoms"
Mr.. Hurley declared it was an ac-
copied principle that strong mari
time power should carry in its owr
ships at least so per cent of the ag-
gregate of its exports and imports and
in addition some of the trade be.
tween countries not yet in the ship
ping business.
Wants Combination Vessel
Assuming total export and i'm.
| port business in 1920 of 10000, 00C
long tons" he added. 'it would re.
qure a fleet of about 100000 gross
tons to transport 60 per cent in our
H own ships"
One of the types of ships most de-
sirable for the new merchant marine
according to Mr.. Hurley, is speedy
effective combination cargo and pas.
senger liner of from 1000 to 25,O0t
\ lightweight tons which could be OPP
Grated efficiently in the transporta-
ton of high class merchandise, pas
sengers and mail.
shipping men generally agree
he said, chat it is not the total ton
mage but the character of the vessels
that makes a successful fleet. The
country might have 100000 tons
of shipping which if not of the right
sort could not be operated profitahlS
in competition with ships of bette!
type belonging to another nation.
II have heard great deal of talk
H about the construction of Junk sh 'os
in America emphasis thus being laid
on the number of small ships we had
under construction. 1t was sought to
convey the impression that our new
ships would suffer by comparison