The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-17
U. S. Ships Superior.

American ships are superior TO those
q n other nation, declared Stevenson
Taylor, president Of the American bu-
reau OF shipping. in a statement ana
Wing the attacks pun the quality OF
American tonnage, He says.
The d"isparaging statements concern
ing the efficiency Of the ships turned
out by this country during the recent
war are not only unCalled for, but I'M
just. when q man Is drowning he h
not particularly interested In the quail
ity Of the apparatus or means adopted
for saving him, so long as he Is saved,
II lily becomes him after his safety to
criticize the quality uf the life pre-
server or Whatever apparatus was used
10 effect his rescue.
The dark days Of the spring Of 1917
should be too fresh in our memories to
permit OF wholesale criticism OF the
ships which We're hastily constructed in
esponse To N" wall Of ships. ships,
and yet more ships from our brothers
across the sea, when starvation and de-
feat were staring them In the face,
owing to the ravages Of the vicious sub
marine attacks by our enemies.
AS soon as the armistiCe was signed
the feveriSh haste Of construction
stopped, and the quality Of OUTPUT i'm
mediately improved. As by far the
greater amount Of our tonnage has
been completed II delivered under
conditions which did not demand such
haste, and as the skin Of the builders
has steadily increased after that date,
l have no hesitation to state that with
the defects already remedied on the
ships as first constructed, our entire
fleet Is composed Of as good ships as
those possessed by any other nation.
In my opinion, we emerge from the
wal with a fleet of merchant vessels
superior to those OF any other nation,
for owing to our long neglected sea-
going merchant marine in prewar
years, We have but an infinitestimal
number OF old ships to lower the aver
are nous tonnage"
Here, then. at first hand from both
British and American authorities, are
the facts as to the quality Of American
tonnage. American ships have moth
ing TO fear in competition with British
the fear Is on the other side, Ameri-
can shipbuilding on an expanded scale
has passed the stage Of experiment
and is here to stay, No. better evidence
Of this could be furnished thar the re-
cent report Of the Atlantic Coast Ship
Builders association that whether the
government goes on building ships or
not, the shipyards will continue con-
structing them. Already contracts for
private account. a~ggregating nearly
!, 900. 900 gross tons, are in hand, n
in some instances the yards have work
assured for two years to come. That
practically nothing Is building Tor for
eign account need cause no concern.
The remedying Of the exchange situa-
ton will right that condition by remov-
ing the handicap of 90 per cent In
crease in cost caused by the present
position OF the American dollar in re-
lation to the currencics Of other coun-
tries, On a par basis American ton
mage prices are only slightly above
British and costs abroad are increasing,
In addition. American shipyards have
the advantage of quantity production
and speed output. Only the labor factor
remains, and there are signs that that
Is beginning to readjust intself.