The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1919-10-17
MERCHANT MARINE QUESTION
SHIPPING FIGURES TELL
THE STORY

THE STORY
Washington, October 16,-The Re
publican Publicity Association, thru its
President, Jonathan Bourne, Jr., today
gave out the following statement from
its Washington headquarters:
Vessels engaged in foreign trade
which entered and cleared American
ports during the fiscal year ended
June Both, 1919, aggregated nearly
93,000,000 net tons, according to of
fetal figures recently published. Let
US analyze those figures.
"Of this tonnage nearly $4,000 900
was foreign and 100000 was Amer
lean, either new, or temporarily OPP
Grating under our flag. Of the Amer
lean tonnage over 33,500,0O0 piled
between the United States and North
American ports, principally those of
Canada, exico and Cuba-easy dis
tance-thus leaving less than $780,
900 net tons to handle our import and
export trade with the rest of the
world.
'The total of that trade for the fis-
cal year 1919 was valued at S10,179,-
100000, imports amounting to S3,096,-
100000, and exports to S7,074, O00,-
900. Our total trade with North
America came to 1884 100000, of
which 81, 100000 was hauled by
Gears and other land vehicles" leav-
ing something like one billion dollars
worth of our trade to be moved by
SO 800 900 net tons of American YES
sells.
"While this was going on, the re-
mainder of our trade with the world,
amounting to s7,835, 100000 in value,
was being carried by something under
100000 of net tonnage, of which
nearly 80 per cent was foreign, or, at
rough calculation, foreign vessels
carried about 7,0O0,000,00O or 70 per
cent of our entire trade last year. To
put it in another light: While 49,
100000 net tons of American vessels
were handling one billion dollars
worth of our foreign trade within the
confines of the North American di-
vision, 100000 net tons of foreign
vessels were getting paid for handling
seven billion dollars worth of our for
eign trade to and from the uttermost
confines of the earth and in between.
To the American who has relied i'm
plicitly on the rosy vision of Amer
lea triumphant as a maritime nation,
as pictured by the press agents of
this administration, this analysis will
give quite jolt. Expressed in ratio
it would read something like this:
33.5:1000: $4,000. Ton for ton, for
eign tonnage showed an efficiency
nearly four and one-half times greater
than our own in getting cargoes.
"For example, the net tonnage of
British England, Ireland and Scot
land) vessels entering and clearing
our ports in 1919 totaled 15,400,000,
and it handled $3,O67 900 worth of our
trade-nearly one-third of it, in fact
This was less than one-ha1f the ton
mage we devoted to the North Amer
lean division, and it handled over three
times the trade by value. Japan, with
an entrance and clearance in Ameri-
can ports of 1,588,0O0 tons, handled
nearly one billion dollars worth of
our foreign trade. The Danish, Dutch
and Norwegian vessels entered and
cleared our ports in an aggregate of
nearly 100000 tons, handling ST.
172,000,000 orth of our trade. These
are the great maritime nations with
which we must compete in the future,
and never forget that Germany is
coming back within ten years. Our
merchant marine must have the full
support and cooperation of the govern
ment and the people if it is to sue
ceed and this will necessitate govern
ment aid and ultimately, private OPP
Grafton and ownership to insure bust
ness efficiency and fair returns. What
we give in aid will return an hun
bred fold in trade, for a ship is the
best salesman in the world, and the
people must support the program for
perpetuating the American flag on
ba Is,rl -