The sun., 1919-02-10
SHIP TONNAGE PILES
UP; BILLIONS GOOUT


Continued from First Poos.
his fellow architects have not run out
OF Utopianism.
As IL stands the edflce Is entitled to
be styled the house that Hurley built
He had some assistance, but not great
deal
Mr. McAdoo, for instance, laid the
cornerstone.
Mr. Daniels gave n little aid In the
interior and exterior decorating.
Mr. Wilson looked the rising structure
over occasionally and went away to Eu-
rope without saying anything.
But from the time OF the cornerstone
laying Mr.. Hurley has been in complete
charge. on the historic occasion re-
ferred to ne seems to have drawn an IN
spiration from Mr. McAdoo's words that
has been with him ever since.
Mr.. McAdoo was operating the rail-
roads 1t was before the creation OF the
Shipping Board and the Director-Gen-
eral therefore was not poaching on Mr.
Hurleys preserves when he cast an eye
in the direction of ocean control. In
deed, the question of ships probably had
not entered into Mr.. Hurleys life at
that time.
McAdOO's Pioneering Nie"s'
Mr.. McAdoo outlined what is supposed
to have been the Governments policy
toward shipping. Our pioneering" upon
the seas, he announced. must In the fu-
ture be done by an interest
That would have boundless resources ::
That would not be compelled to con-
Germ Itself with dividends to its stock
holders or returns to its bondholders;
That could afford to suffer losses and
sustain them for an indefinite period:
That would have but a single purpose
the general welfare Of the United
States.
obviously, as It was pointed out, there
Is but one such nterest--the Govern
ment OF the United States.
Here, then. is the corner stone upon
which Mr.. Hurley has builded his edi-
flee, and upon which the whole rests.
Remove II and the entire elaborate COL
lection of architecture will fall IN a ruin
of rainbows.
But Mr.. Hurley clings to his corner
stone and 10 the sentiments attached to
It The casual beholder OF Utopia un-
limited. sees cut In the rose colored IA
cade OF that imposing structure ITO
pia, Unlimiteds motto:
ITO suffer losses and to sustain them
for an indefinite period"
Not Happy TIL They Get II.
The words are stamped on practically
everything that the biggest corporation
in the world has done. They are
stamped on everything It proposes to do
The lettering is not always decipheraoIe
at hrst glance. but it is there.
Both in deeds and words Mr.. Hurley
has Indicated his belief that the Ameri-
can people will not be happy until they
have "a vast merchant fleet second 10
none. They may not know they need II
but they do They may not like the
price, but forget that The American
laws may make the profitable operation
Of American ships on competitive basis
impossible-forget that. too. Govern
ment operation-never mind that: just
get business for those millions OF tons
(deadweighD of new ships we are 60
ing to have.
Or, put It in Mr.. Hurley's own words
as duly chronicled by an interviewer II
Golfers Weekly, who had sought te
draw from him some definite announce
fnent as to the Governments shipping
policy for the future
.'See here said Mr.. Hurley, Govern
rnent ownership or private is not thu
thing that Is botherlng me now-nor tn
La Toilette act, nor English competition
nor the competition of any other natio'
on the face of the earth. nor the II
founded comp 'aints OF the concrete PEG
pie: none of these things Is the real
vital problem OF the American merchan
marine to-day
"'W'hat is that real. vital problem
asked.
"'Finding the cargoes to all thos
ships.' snapped the chairman or IN
United States Shipping Board"
What the People Think.
By the concrete people" Mr.. Hurley
Il may be taken, refers to the involun
tary shareholders of Utopia, Unlimited
the producers OF the "boundless re
sources" that "can afford to suffer losse
and sustain them for an indefinite pc
Rod" But what are the complaint
from this far reaching class which h
calls all founded" Here are few tina
may be among them:
That Mr.. Hurley, when questioned OF
such subjects as the Governments pol
icies on shipping, in which, incidentally
the Concrete people" are interested I
the tune OF $4,000. 900 900 ESQ far). an
swers that those are not the things tina
are bothering him now; that the b,
thing is to get work for the new ship
to do.
That careoes TO Nil the new ships ar
useless unless markets are provided TO
the goods and that new markets WI
not be created automatically by delug
of new tonnage without heed to the law
of supply and demand
That Instead OF effecting condition
that will aid American shipping the Go,
eminent is fostering circumstances tina
may force American ship owners to re
tire from business to escape ruin, or
transfer their ships TO foreign registr
to make profitable operation possible
That the Administrations failure {
announce anything In the nature OF
definite and comprehensive policy towar
the future of shipping has, In additio
TO unsettling the shipping industr!
plunged business generally into n stat
OF uncertainty as to the future of foreig
trade
Drain on Public Purse.
That Government operation OF shiI
ping at a loss means an indefinite drai
upon the public purse for an indehni'
period.
These are few OF the concrete con
plants heard to-day. To balance thei
the Government offers abstract theorie