New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-05-07

result OF the war and the ordinary
processes of trade are unbalanced, It
will require time TO build up its eco
nomic structure,
ut might serve q useful purpose to
ourselves and to the, world to bring
about All international conference OF
the maritime nations to stabilize the
shipping situation, or the theory that
one part of the world cannot be Grip
pied economically while the rest is
prosperous. The finances of Europe
and other countries are In a chaotic
condition, while the United States is
! prosperous. An international laying
up program on the basis of relative
! percentages of tonnage owned and con-
ference rates on parity from all coun-
tries would largely solve the problem
/ by limiting the total tonnage of ships
IN employment to the cargo available.
While this plan would appeal to practi-
cal ship owners the world over, inter-
ventIon on the part of maritime
/, league of nations would probably sur
round this economic principle with a
maze of entanglem ents which would de-
stroy the main purpose to be achieved,
although its accompl shment would
make practical contribution TO the
promotion Of peace.
There are many importers and ex-
porters in this country whose desire
does not seem to be to support an
American merchant marine on an equal
basis. 1t would be no great hardship
Tor the majority of the American i'm
porters to pay fair rate on their i'm
ports, nor for Some of the American
exporters of bulk commodities to sell
their goods on C, /. {. basis, thereby
controlling the ocean freight and al
lowing American ships a reasonable
freight rate. The great mass of for
elgn tramp tonnage will regulate the
ocean freight rates for American
steamers as long as our producers sell
their products for American shipping
ports. This is not an appeal to patriot
ISM, out an appeal TO reason. since our
producers cannot know their markets
nor the laid down parity of their com
petlters' prices unless they include in
tnelr sales price the cost of their goods,
| ene insurance and ocean freight TO
ultimate destination. It is difficult
enough to maintain our ships on the
seas against propaganda and disparage-
ment largely by our own peoples with
| out forcing rates to ruinous level by
unfair means.
1t is time to recognize the fact that
the policy OF the Shipping Board since
IT'S inception, Of endeavoring to build
up trade routes from every Atlantic.
Guf and Pacific port to practically
every port IN the world, is expensive
and lmpracticable, despite the clamor
that the abandonment OF this policy
would bring forth in certain localities
ana the political pressure that would
De brought to bear.
The Shipping Board, as owners of
the steamers, when assigning steamers
10 loading brokers to operate for their
account on a designated trade route,
SHOULD stlpuIate a trade name under
when the line will operate, this to be
tne property of the Shipping Board,
ana should they eventually sell these
steamers operating in this trade the
trade name should go with the line.
Until trade reviyec and opportunity
exists fer obtaining a fair sales price
an early retirement of the Shipping
Board and liquidation of it's shipping
BUSINESS seem impracticable, but a
partial solution of one of the difficult
tles confronting the Shipping Board is
10 continue to lay UP considerable
portion OF its tonnage, and in line
with the timely slogan: Less govern
naent In business, more business in
government withdraw from all but
supervisory activity by chartering the
steamers to reputable and experienced
cperators, either on bare boat basis
or on time charter, GLOWING the char
terers the option of purchasing the
steamers when conditions improve.
The claim Is made, and justly, that
the cost of American ships must rea-e
sonabiy approximate the costs Of their
competitors and that capital charges
must be substantially equalized with
those Of our competitors. The fact re-
n Ill
Der of ships built abroad have been
sold under stress of necessity at less
than half the cost Of reproduction, as
IN the case of ex-enemy ships sold by
Great Britain, the great bulk of the
worlds tonnage built during the war
fairly approximates the average cost
of our own fleet. Again it is said that
operating costs must be approximately
equal to those of our competitors
Leaving wages paid in American ships
out of consideration, do the foreign
ers, loading from American ports. OBJ
! lain any. lower prices for fuel, ship re-
pairs, wharfage, harbor cues, stevedor-
ing, supplies and stores in United
States ports than do our own ships?
The main factor in determining
whether we can compete successfully
lies largely in our shipping laws. The
latter are not only strangling our
ocean-go1ng Snlps, but are affecting our
carriers on the Great Lakes. 1t NAV
be tacitly assumed that our ships must
be manned by competent crews suf-
| f1clent IN number to operate economi-
cally and safely and that American
seamen should enjoy the best possible
conditions, receiving in wages reason
able return for service performed, but
it must be equally obvious that provis-
ions of law which require American
vessels to maintain larger crews--65
per cent of whom must be licensed men
than IS the case with foreign vessels
Ieand carry as the engine room crew 80 per
cent more men than the steamships of
any other nation necessarily subject
! American vessels to very serious dis
advantage, estimated at per cent on
the capital investment.
The compulsory advance in each
foreign port of call of half wages
earned seriously affects the working
of ships and leads to expensive delays.
The burden of these laws should be
removed in the interests of the sea-
men as well as the shipowners. Their
removal would appreciabIy improve cur
position and make it unnecessary to
discriminate against our competitors
by legislation, which they are in posi-
ton to adopt similarly against Ameri-
can goods and vessels in foreign ports,
since OF necessity we must have return
as well as outward cargoes. Congress
has declared in favor of a policy of