The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-09-01
FOREIGN BUILDERS
WORRY ABOUT SHIPS
United States Has Lots of Help in
Feeling Bad About Its Mer-
chant Marine.


Exchange National Bank of New York
is pertinent in its comment on the
Merchant Marine policy of the United
States. One sentence is particularly
apt, to-wit: that 1--WE have a lot of
help in feeling bad about our ships"
The letter. in part, reads:
investigators for foreign shipping
interests have reported a lack of in
terest in the merchant marine for this
country on the part of a, great major
ity of the people. Unfortunately, their
reports are quite accurate; the masses
of the American people are generally
Indifferent where the Shipping inter
ests of the country are concerned.
But there is reason to hope for a
change of sentiment. Our pessimism
with regard to the future of our mar
inc venture is not wholly home grown.
We have had a lot of help in feeling
bad about our ships. Some of our
most enthusiastic pessimists have
come to us from countries which are
breaking their necks in efforts to
build up their own shipping, at a
time, too, when we are told that the
sea lanes are crowded to suffocation
with ships.
"These activities in. contradiction of
claims that the world already has
more ships than it needs indicate the
supreme confidence of the builders of
the new ships in their ability to COM
pete successfully with the American
marine. In considering the current
supply of shipping, most commentators
use the tonnage of 1914 as a standard
of comparison.
''At the end of 1919 world shipping
had been restored to the point at
which it stood before the war, but five
years had elapsed since the breaking
out of the war, and counting the more
than 100000 additional tons build
ing, the total fell short of the point
at which it would have stood bad no
ships been destroyed and normal
building had persisted.
''At the end of 1914 something like
100000 tons were under construc-
ton, so, admitting that the tonnage
afloat now equals the pre-wa tonnage,
it appears that the net result of in
creased building all over the world
has been no more than an addition of
about 100000 tons to shipping under
construction-hardly enough to take
care of more than a year or two of
losses at sea and by fire, and we'll un-
told it really doesn't matter whether
the world has more or less ships than
it needs; we can not compete with the
old hands, we are not the sailors we
were, our costs are too high; and a
lot of other things are the matter with
us that will prevent US from making
a success of sea transport. The
trouble with this sort of analysis is
that it leaves wholly out of consider
alton the thing that forced us to de-
eide in favor of trying to maintain
the merchant marine.
Our shipping policy is a defensive
policy-it was made necessary by the
treatment our traders received at the
hands of shipping controlled by other
nations. England, for example,, claims,
and justly, has, owing to her situation
and her dependence upon other coun-
tries for food and employment for her
population she ought in fairness to be
allowed to retain her place at the
world carrier. But the trouble with
a program of that sort is that as soon
as the carrier monopoly is established,
the country in control begins to es-
tablish preferential treatment in favor
of her own nationals and thus forces
other countries to undertake their |
own transportation in self defense.
But we found that even the sec
ond largest merchant marine in the |
world did not guarantee our traders |
fair treatment, and We were forced |
to enact the Jones law, which provides |
reciprocal preferential treatment for |
our own nationals. Other countries, |
notably Japan, Immediately undertook |
to force the issue by denouncing rate |
agreements, and we are now engaged |
in a rate war in the Pacific.
1.-THE complaints of The shipping in
terests that have been hurt by what |
We have already done, and frightened |
by the vigor with which we are pur-
suing our own interests, have been |
vociferous; so much so that at times |
they have seemed to swen the vol |
ume of a national protest. But we
cannot heed these complaints. If our |
shipping were driven off the sea by /
open competition, and by ships that
carried no sugar in their pockets for |
their favorites, we would not mind.
"As a matter of fact. we might |
willingly step out of the field altogeth- !
err if we We're not under the Compul- |
sion of protecting much more impor- !
tant interests. We might cOnCede the |
place of carrier in the various oceans |
to those who feel that they have a ]
particular call upon the job, but as
long as we have to trade in a word of
preferences and determinations we
need our own ships and will maintain |
dies if we must"