The state herald., 1920-03-26
SAYS U. S. MUST
LEARN SHIPPING
America Is Not Ready for Great
Merchant Marine, Asserts
Payne.
URGES EXTENSIVE CAMPAIGN
---s T.. i-fs 2 Attsa-I-- u
Shipping Board Head Insists That peo.
pie Of This Country Must BE
Taught to Think and Act
In Terms Of Sea.

New York.-The tales of the sea
must become the gossip Of the nursery
and Of the nreside II the United States
hopes to develop a great. successful
merchant marine and become a nation
Of shipping, In the opinion of John Bar
ton Payne, chairman Of the United
States shipping board, who, In mes.
sage to the members Of the Old Colony
club. urges that a great public cam.
palgn be inauguAted to teach the peo.
pie Of America to 'think and act In the
language Of shipping.
"The war has given us ships" says
Mr.. Payne. eve now have 1900 ship
ping board ships, operating Al trads
routes, carrying our products under
our own flag Into the important world
ports. BY the end Of 1920 this number
will he increased to- some 2,25O. Sales
Of ships to Americans are being made
but the saies DO not keep pace with
the new launchIngs."
10 Pressing Problem.
The problem of establishing q perma.
nent marine presses for solution, Mr..
Payne emphasizes. He contends that
no question Of government ownership
Is involved. The question. he says, IL
not between public and private own
ership. but between American and for.
elgn ownership.
eve want an established American
merchant marine: how It shall be
owned IL less important" he says.
"we desire that every ship now gov.
eminent owned shall be sold to and
he privately owned and operated BY
Americans for Americans, but that win
come later. The chief thing In hand ir
to create Q merchant marine"
Ships alone will not create a mer
chant marine. Mr.. Payne reminds the
Old Colony club members. 'Indeed,"
he warns. sunless we have men. money
and brains In the shipping business,
ships may become a liability rnther
than an asset. How then, may mer.
chant marine be established7 1t can
not he done In day. II cannot be
done by legislation. 1t requires time,
habit. growth and Individual capacity.
Initiative and enterprise.
"Many seem to think the shipping
board can do this by reducing prices Of
ships. and instantly shipping men will
spring up and all our ships will be
bought by private owners. and. pres
to! n merchant marine is fact. This
is serious error. A substantial .educ.
tion In price would undoubtedly sell
some 800 ships, but this would not
touch the problem. Ships cannot be
sold In large numbers until the coun.
try Is prepared to buy them. It is not
now prepared.
Must Acquire Ship Habit.
ave have not acquired the ship hab-
II. Who lonns money on shipsf Whom
Of your acquaintanceshIp would buy
ship mortgagef Are your neIghbors
sending their boys to seaf These
things must come to pass before
We are n maritime nation. prepared to
buy over 1000 ships.
NY conclusion is II IL not possible
to have Q successful merchant marine
until the country grows into the ship
habit. The American newspapers and
magazines must arouse the thinking
men among manufacturers. investment
bankers. farmers and labor to the
necessity for q merchant marine: teach
the people to think and net IN the Ian.
guags Of shipping. They must hrst IN.
derstand. then they will act.
sAlready great strides arr heinz
made. Even now We have 800 firms or
companies operating shipping hoard
ships. They employ on land and sea
nearly 10000 men In the service. We
maintain recruiting service and
school to teach oficefs. engineers and
sailors how to do the work and NJ them
for the sea.
"American insurance II essential.
Companies must he encouraged and
new ones established. that we be not
dependent on foreign companies for
our ship Insurance. The American
bureau Of shipping must bc developed
and strengthened to the end that In
all technical matters affecting ship.
ping We may be independent of nny
foreign institutions To accomplish this
task. all Americans must pull togeth.
er. The tales Of the sen must become
the gossip Of the nursery ana OF the
6rcside"