The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-04-26

enc AGO. Arril @;-Thc futur" dcv"l-
npul"nt nr tn" .SnrTi'ah rl'fchaht mar
inc * at Stak" and u" more important
economic pruhlcnI has ever presented ~
srif nt one tImr Ia tho American people.
lanes A. Farrell, president Of III" .rat-
ional Foreign Trad t"nv"ntinn here.
'Thr nccan-golnE steel carE" tonnage
now held BY our government nEEr"EHt'$
555 vessels Of 3.3H5.6Uu dcadwriEht IONS
and there arr, under contract l."ar YES
soils Of y.215. 900 toms. said Mr. rHrrrIl;
SHOULD the present rroErtn b" carried
out tn completion there will hr under the
American flag next year Il. 10000 drnd-
weight tons of shipping ur which per
haps 14.00Oooq tons can b" ciasScd "S
orcan-E"inG. :.
ono or International cooperation and Sta
bility Of rates rather than ~ lntcrha-
tinnal competition. y world. ON" M
whose most pressing needs - ocean
transportation. will hay" TO start inc
trial reconstruction with 'ncrc'fhn'
marine smaller hy 1900 600 tons Of car
ryinE capacity than that which II pas
Scssrd ri the outbreak of tn" war ~
will thus be seen that nc "orlu - So,,.
short Of ships especially thuS" 81 gen
rr1lI utility suitable for offensive" traces
md there will still b" work Tor snip,
wards for vessels Of this character unlll
the world shortage is mad" uIL
'.'rh-rr is nv IniSinklnE the tarl th'it
We start IN thu race with higher COSTS
nr oprrutiun How much higher cannot
~ vet b. stated accurately but ! ihInK
| may hazard tn" statement ihai II IN
other respects We ar" abb" 10 meet the
rumprt ion Of the world IN equal terms
respectfully ihr Typos of ships built or |"
hr built. runpa rabl" with those III our
runrrtiturs. the relatively hlSh wages
of American officers. engineers ana sea-
mon sufficient in number |" operate
economically with safety will not prove
to hc Il serious handicar.
Mr., Farrell said il could d. assumed
that american vessels should br In2nncd
by competent crews ami nave AnirTIcah
scamrn enjoy IN" best possible "undl-
inns nr life in service. But" he added.
ii, must hr equally obvious that profiS-
ions of law which rCrulr" American NrS-
sells Ia maintain larger crews nan IL inc
cnsr with foreign vCS"rls and to carry
than tn" steamships Of amy other nation
necessarily subject American vessels ~
a very serious disadvantage"
Concerning EnNrrnIn'n nj rWncTShin ana
Opnratfon nf steamships, Mr.. fnrTrl Sild
| "'rhr temporary appclr;Lrc" ~ 4 military
| necessity Of til" government OF inc In,
! tod states as 4 ship builder and ship
owner On colossal seal" docs moi rem
| dor il an% l"SS.a fnrt that the futur" or
Tho American merchant marine must dc
| pend on the attractions which II offers
| 10 thu employment of private capital and
| The application of private enterprise
| Government owned ships In foreign
| trad, could only result in disorKnniza-
| lion of existing trade routes in which
government ships might engage while
| bringing about complete paralysis OF
| individual effort to obtain for private
| American ships larger share OF Amer
| lean sea-borne commerce. Thus In The
event of government ownership anc
operation of merchant vessels becoming
| n settled policy. tho problem of the fut
| ure of American shipping would sol