Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-01-24

tabIished a permanent merchant ma
rine service was given by Chairman
John Barton Payne of the Unlteo
States Shipping Board at the first
evening session of the pan-American
financial conference this week.
The general topic was The I'M
provement of Ocean and Land Trans
, portation Facilities and leading
followed Chairman Payne. expressed
the fear that even the extended
passenger and mail service he out
! lined. as the program of the shipping
board would be inadequate to satisfy
| existing needs.
Chairman Payne's address was on
The Future Policy OF the United
States Shipping Board and in be-
| ginning his address the speaker SAID
it was the ambition of the shipping
close to the United States that we
may shake hands almost daily
! Acquired Much shipping.
| BY construction. purchase and con-
| fiscation of enemy shipping the
/ United states. following it's entry INTO
| the war acquired a total of 1O,a 3,OiO
lightweight tons. excluding 3.66l''o'
| tons to be completed during 1920.
| I'VE have lost. reconveyed to for
| mer owners or sold 1914 ships. repre-
| sentin 1.274.31 lightweight tonnage.
continued the chairman. Some OF
the ships now in operation we VIII
sell for use by foreign flags. but the
| fleet as whole. representing 1.6Ss
ships of 92eS.669 lightweight tons.
| will be operated under the United
| States flag as a permanent merchant
marine. and will be available to serve
| the trade routes to South America ana
! other countries.
| The demands for ships to win the
war ships to carry men and food to
| France was so imperative and so
pressing that passenger ships, as
| such, were not considered Questions
| of this kind. however important, were
| compelled to wait.
The result is we have much less
passenger tonnage than we neeo' anu
much less than we would have mad
| had our fleet been built under peace
| conditions
I'VE are building twenty-six new
passenger ships for delivery this
spring The War and Navy Depart
mentS have turned over to us twenty
seven ex-German passenger ships
but these. having been made into
| troop ships. are not in condltlon 70
| be used for a passenger service until
reconditioned The first of these was
| the Moccasin, a small ship of only
1880 lightweight tons. This year
| Immediately placed under contract
| its way to South America, and VIII
| be followed by other and larger SHIPS
as fast as they can be made readp
| for service.
Unable to Do Better.
You doubtless wonder why we in
augurate our South American service
with so small and modest a begin
! ming. You now understand tnat TINS
was not so much due to our modesty
as to the fact that We could not 90
better in the present circumstances.
our present plans for the passen-
ger service to the east coast OF South
America are:
give steamers, maintaining a two
weekly service between New YORK.
Rio de Janeiro, Santos, MonteVldeo
and Buenos Hires.
South-bound. these vessels will pro-
coed directly to Rio Rio, dc aeu 'a an s,
| Thomas for fuel. The five vessels Sc
| lected for this service are all exeter
man steamers of fifteen knots speea-
| the Aeolus, Huron. Pocahontas. pc
kaIb and Princess Matoika. me flu-
turned from the Army and are now
being reconditioned. The Huron IL
exDected to be ready for service IN
ApriI. and the DeKalb and Aeoius IN
May The Princess Matolka anu M
Pocahontas will be returned from the
| Army shortly. They are All pelns
comnletely remodeled and will be con-
verted to- burn fuel oil. Their accom-
modations will be first class In every
respect and part OF their careo N.Y. tua
movement Of perishable products.
| ..The board regards the passenger
service to South America as OF para
| mount Importance, and, penoins .ne
| reconditioning of the nVe steaIneIs
me ntioned above. is doing WnaI II Cd"
! to provide temporary service.
Record for 1919.
| For the calendar year OF 1918. Ioo
shipping board freight steamers were
| To Brazil. carrying a total of $4,000
TONS of cargo. To the River Plate.
100 steamers, with 6S9,600 tons OF
cargo. OF these steamers twenty-one
proceeded from the Plate to Europe
on their homeward voyages, carrying
approximately 100000 tons OF cargo;
and the remainder to the United
states with homeward cargoes total
| ling $4,000 tons. We are planning to
inaugurate a regular monthly Sefv-
ice between the River Plate, Antwerp
and other European ports in Febru-
airy. and will place on this run re-
| frieerated cargo capable of lifting ap-
proximately 5000 tons of frozen beef.
/ loading such general cargo as may
be available.
! Further cargo steamers will be
added to this service from time to
time, there being an ample reserve to
care for cargo offerings.
/ During the calendar year 1919 six
ty-two shipping board steamers load
ed from United States ports to the
west coast, carrying $4,000 tons
southbound and 10000 tons north
bound. Such additional cargo steam
ers as this business requires will be
'allocated as needed.
I'VE are asked why we do not al
locate the ocean greyhounds like the
Leviathan to this service.
Certain Physical Dimculties.
There are certain physical Difficult
ties. such as the fact that at Rio the
depth of water is only twenty-six
feet. that make this impossible. Our
friends from South America will know
from this frank statement that il our
own ability to supply this service
could keep pace with our desire they
would have nothing to desire, and if
they have any suggestions which they
desire to have us consider they will
find the members of the shipping
| board receptive and appreciative.
The question of national policy in
volved in the ownership and operation
OF passenger and cargo steamers con-
shutting merchant marine is one
now occupying the earnest attention
of the President and the Congress.
| 1T is hoped that the merchant ma
rine may be owned and operated by
private persons and corporations
rather than by the government. AS a
step in this direction, we have adver-
tised for sale thirty of our ex-German
passenger vessels, and il these are
sold we hope to follow this by the sale
of our remaining passenger vessels.
This. however. will not affect the
shipping program which is here dis
cussed. 1t is provided that the ships
if sold are to be sold with reference to
the particular routes selected and as
| signed NV the SHINING hoard opd