The Elk Mountain pilot., 1919-04-17

capable OF carrying half of n. national, ,,,,,rt.
and exports.
ne used TO draw picture Of q theoretically
pef1ect balance In this Important economic aues-
tion. For the snke of illustrating hi. poInt
FRANKLIN would state that fair balance, In the
snip business. could always be maintained II ware
housea' put half way across ocean, served as
p0inU Of Interchange for the overseas trade be-
tween two nations. One nation would take in Its
own ships. all OF Its goods for export and leave
them at the warehOuse-ths Imaginary point In
the middle Of the sea. There the ship would load
up with goods from the second nation and haul
them back home. Ships of the other nation would
follow the same program
Naturally enough midocean warehouses are a
physical impossbility And two nations could
ever have anything like equal tonnage to ex-
change. For all practical purposes except in the
matter of framing policies the Franklin scheme Is
blackboard stun. very useful In explaining the
theory OF foreign trade to n schOoroom, but of no
vital Importance to the ship-buding engineer or
foreign trader
All Cannot BE Shipping Nations.
Then the whole world cannot be guided by the
Franklin idea. Many nations are unable to get
into the shipping game seriously. They lack ma
terias for shipbuilding. perhaps, they lack
deep-water ports open the year around. Russia
under the czars. made 300 yenr-long fight for a
deep-water port open 10 months out of every year.
Switzerland has no ports Italy lacks steel and
coal for operating shipyards. And the story
goes. Most nations for one reason another
keep out OF the big shipping game on account of
natural obstacles.
In this very situation, what might he termed the
economic and political msfortunes of the smaller
nations work to the advantage OF the bigger mari
time nations helping their ship business.
Today, America and Grent Britain have en-
tirely different policies the problem Of world
shipping. We are going into the game. according
to our shipping experts here In Paris for the
peace conference. because 1t is OF vital Importance
for the future of America to and operate a
feet big enough to carry 80 per cent of exports
and Imports. Such program is almost manda-
tory for the future prosperity of the United States
We need II merchant marine to complete our al
ready enormous industrial system, chain of
big factories. We need ships to haul grain to
foreign lands; to transport our raw materials. We
must not face the future placing ourselves ut the
mercy of any other nations ships and shipping
interests. our shipping officials say
/, In this wnr-just ended with the defeat of Ger
mapy-the whole world had concrete example
OF what ships mean to nation. Japan by gain
itx for time the shipping supremacy in the Pa
ci6c has been able to almost paralyze Chinese for
een trade with America and boost Japanese trade
with the United States by the simple eXpetiient
NJ operating Japanese~owned ships for the benefit
~ Japan a thing she had every right to do There
were not enough ships to go around-and the
Japanese adopted the policy that Chinese trade
shOuld suffer rather than Japanese.
This condition will rapidly right itself; but in
tte meantime the Chinese had to suffer In silence
There are dozens of other examples that ship
ming men point to BY way Of illustrating the neces
~ fox America to 20 Into the shipping business