The sun., 1919-02-24
u. S. SHIPS FACE
MANY ROCKS IN
RACEFOR TRADE
Hurley, However, Declares
Merchant Marine Can
Stand Competition.
SILENT ON HUGE COST
CamOuflaged Wage Scale Com
parisOn Given Out-COn-
gress May Act.

The Government has been liberal
handed with some sorts of informa-
ton regarding Americas gigantic new
merchant marine" Data have not been
lacking concerning a long roster Of
steel thewed titians who have Wed in
demolishing rivet driving champion
ships up to nine-or was it ninety
thousand a day.
Speed production records dropped
like flies in a summer swatting cam
paign. The period from keel laying>to
ship launching dwindled from a matter
of months to one of weeks. almost OF
| days. Forests were to be converted
into wooden flotillas over night. Steel
ships were to be turned out as rapidly
as flivvers. Monthly figures of output
climbed to giddy heights, with a
| promise of double and treble totals to
the check Of the armistice. Brawn far
outstripped brain in those breathless
times.
Little Known of the Cost.
All but the last point have been duly
blazoned abroad in an official fortissimo.
But to other matters-also of impor-
| tance-hardly more than a Government
pianissimo has been accorded. And not
least among these is the rather interest
ing question of cost. On this subject
the citizen who has relied upon the Ad-
ministration for enlightenment-as most
a ha n
been oversupplied.
The last annual report OF the Shipping
Board, for INSTANCE. in its 2l2 pages con-
| tains several devoted to tables from
which an expert accountant might gain
a little knowledge as to the actual out
lay to the ton for new construction. The
average reader. however. would be ex-
cusable for cleaning little beyond the
impression that few billions of dollars
had been spent and few millions OF
tons of merchant vessels built, and that
more tons and more dollars-an indef-
mite more-were wanted by the Admin
istration.
Cost-plus and cost changed, twin
progeny of the war. have bequeathed to
the American people a legacy of some
hundreds Of Government ships, incapa-
BILE OF self-support, costly Il working
costly If idle, and shorn of continuing
expense only If scrapped.
How Both Plans Worked.
Cost-be-hanged has simply and openly
produced tonnage at any price. Cost
plus. subtler. has said to the producer
Go ahead and build ships; I'll pay all
the expenses and you shall have only q
commission on the production price-say
10 per cent"
An economical policy and one condu'
Give TO honesty? Perhaps. But II Smith
constructed steamships OF 5000 ton:
: gross for $l,00O,O00 and Jones turned
build two ships to Jones's one to make
as much commission.
The end in sight, the ending of the war
/, was a justification for the means EN-
> ployed in producing shipping during tn,
war That justification no longer exists
but 1t is proposed to carry on the cost-be
> hanged policy by transferring the bulk o
the burden from the construction to tn,
operation Of ships. No end Is in sigh
there. Cost-plus however. 1t IL an
nounced. is to be scrapped but its ef
feet already has evidenced itself in tn,
determination OF the Government tC
write billion dollars OF the cost o
Z $4,000, 100000 OF vessels step. bu
only a small one. on the way to bringing
them down TO basis where -lhe"-"al
DE opefdItd- IN competition WITH NE ship
ping OF other nations,
:, Nations Maritime Legacy.
Americas maritime war legacy. then
consists of motley collection of vessels
. Some OF them have performed good ser
vice. some bad, some none at all-await
ing conditioning or reconstruction tina
!, will enable them to put to sea. And
. fourth class never has seen use an,
never will. because OF unseaworthiness
a utter unsuitability for the purposes O
: Continued on Eighth Page.
Smokes Go to Soldiers
d for Their Jourpey Hoyna