White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1919-04-20

nal Improvements afe "a
Rhine NJ,
rbe chief interest now eenters on
,he question of whether me ohi'eu
stotes can h~enceforth maintain her
new place upon the seas, or "heliiei
Che mpst now disband the energies
,bot brought her merchant fleet INTO
being. u..tav
.eTbere is every reason, Mr.. Hurley
continued. for believing that AMER
,oa has come back upon the oceah-
Ia stay. Ny observations eompel OF
timism The wal has brought us into
a high place as a maritime power. l
find the peoples of the world rouse
=. an intense interest and concern as
70 he nse we are 70 make OF this
mower. In America. you have heard
much of British competition. In Urea,
britain I heard a great deal more
ahout American competition. Inc
truth is that our friends across the
water are for the first time entering
npon a period of actual competition
Mr.. Hurley said prior to August
1914 both the foreign trade and me
shipping of the United states were
dominated TO a great extent by Brit
lsh. because American traders ana
shin GENERATORS who wished 10 do bust
ness could do 50 most conveniently
through British agencies. In 1919, he
recalled. only one-seyenth OF the TOT
picn trade of the United States was
carried in American bottoms.
The total exports and imports oil
the United States for the year lelY
we're approximately 50,ooo,o0 lone
ions" said the report. with aver
age 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, l9l4' our
foreign trade In 1920 would require q
greatly increased merchant tonnage II
II all were to be carried in American
bottoms"
Should Carry so Per Cent OF Trade
Mr.. Hurley declared II was an &C
cepted principle that a strong mari
time power should carry In It's owl
ships Mt least 30 per cent Of the az
gregate of its exports and imports
and in addition some of the trade be
tween countries not Vet In the ship.
ping business.
Assuming a total export and I'm.
port business 5. In 1920 Of 70,o00,oO9
long tons" he added, "it would require
a fleet of about 100000 gross ton'
to transport 60 per cent in our owl
ships"
One Of the types of ships most de
sirable for the new merchant marine
according to Mr.. Hurley, Is a speedy
effective combination cargo and pas
senger liner of from $1,000 to 25,00t
lightweight tons, which could be op.
Grated efficiently In the transportation
Of high-class merchandise, passenger
and mail.
MI. Hurley said three factors mill
tated most strongly against the nat
ural and desirable expansion of the
foreign trade If the United States.
First, the necessity for developing
men, thoroughly American In every
way, to handle foreign trade; second,
fhe recruiting OF an American per
sonnet for the operation of the ships
and the handling of the work at TIE
ports. and third, the extension OF
banking facilities. The idea that toe
high wages are being paid American
seamen for this country to compete
with other countries successfully was
ridlculed by Mr.. Hurley.
SIT is time for the public mind "a
be disabused of this conception" he
stated. "The facts will dismay those
who are agitating for a lower wage
scale OF American ships. We are
paying our seamen $50 a month. Eng.
land, during the war. paid her sea.
men $72 a month. The French and
Dutch are paying high wages. In
Sweden the seamen's scale is even
higher than In the United States.
The retention of high wag wa
important, he added. because men who
had lab0red under great strain yield
ed their attention more readily to the
agitator. The ucces Of any natior
In shipbullding and ship operating
he said, will be determined by tn.
amer In which the labor situation
is handled.