New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-13
| asker's Aids
To Steer Fleet
From Politics
Two New Shipping Board
Officers Visit Bureau
Here and Tell of Plans to
Revive Merchant Marine
Harding in Accord
DENY 'sTotal Wreck Charge
and Assert Ships Are
Now 80 Per Cent Efficient


President Harding's one paramount
,sea in regard to shipping is to build
:, an American merchant marine, ].
ps-s.ow Smull. of J. H. Winchester &
r. and William J. Love, of Furness,
Witty 4 Co, two of the experts chosen
he Chairman Lasker, Of the Shipping
poard, to direct the operation of the
sosrd's ships, said yesterday at the
New York Offices of the board, as
Broadway.
the new vice-presidents Of the
Emergency Fleet Corporation were in
Washington Monday and conferred with
the Shipping Board and President
Harding.
aBoth President Harding and Mr..
lasker realize the American ship
owners must be helped to secure real
merchant marine" said MIR. Smull, land
this can only be done by cooperation.
heretofore we haven't known whether
ve were to have q merchant marine or
not The ship owners and the Ship
ping Board have been suspicious of
each other and have often worked at
cross purposes, but all that is ended
The Administration is absolutely CO.
posed to government ownership.
1.-THE operators of Shipping Board
vessels to-day are to be the owners in
the future, and some plan must Be de-
vsed TO finance the sales without call
Ing upon the financial interests of the
country 70 bear the burden entirely"
Fleet of Motor Ships
One point the Fleet Corporations
vice-presidents made clear was that
steps are to be taken to provide a feet
Of motor ships as part of the merchant
marine. Only one Diesel-engined yes
sci has been built for the board so far
Mr.. Love said that the board had OBJ
tanned number of internal combustion
engines. and that, wherever possible
when machinery requirements were re-
auired these would be used "And they
are American-made Diesels, and good
ones, too, he added.
Outlining the methods to be pur-
sued in the operation of the ships, the
officers pointed out that thew, together
with A. J. Frey. a Pacific Coast expert
would constitute a committee of three
OF operations. They can choose their
assistants, and may reempioy incum-
senss or Get new men at their own op-
ton. The actual details of the opera
ton Of the ships will be entirely in the
hands of the committee, but it will
confer with Chairman Lasker on ques
tons of policy.
politics will not enter into the OPP
erations of the committee in any way"
said Mr.. Smull, land cur chief object
is to have things run on a strictly bust
ness basis We will be in Washington
early next week, and will meet Mr..
Frey there and get under way at once.
Our headquarters will be in Washing
ION, but we expect to be in New York
frequently.
New Business Coming
st is already evident the new meth
eds are bearing fruit One of the big
gest grain exporters in the country
called me up to-day and said he had
not traded with the Shipping Board for
four months, but had given his bust
hess to British vessels. Now that you
and Love are on the job, though he
added, we are going to use the board 8
vessels again
Zone thing that would like to en-
shipping Board is not hopeless wreck
There is hope of unscrambling the
eggs, and if it is humanity possible it
will be done"
If any man can do i Mr.. Lasker
can added Mr.. Smull. eve have been
IN constant contact with his dynamic
personality for q week and we are al
most dead as a result Mr. Lasker has
the ability for one thing, and for an
ether he has the full support of the
Admin stration"
In answer to inquiries as to the
methods likely to be pursued in
handling the ships, Mr.. Love and Mr.
smull discussed some of the problems
to De met. There will be no immediate
abandonment of the ALLEGATION system
ey which beats are turned over to pri-
vate operators with q fee based on the
freight receipts, but those who want
70 charter the ships on bare boat OF
ume basis can do SO.
The charter system, it was pointed
out, would take an immense mount OF
eetal work and expense off the boards
aands, but under present conditions
there will be little demand for char
tering
1t was said that the plan to lay up
world tonnage on a proportionate basis
IN order to bring the amount of cargo
space to fit the amount of cargo offer
ing was impracticable
Shipping men do not regard this as
feasible" said Mr.. Smull "They think
Nwould work very much as the efforts
% restrict the production Of cotton
Too Much Tonnage
1t is the view Of the two experts
Inat too much Shipping Board tonnage
sui! is in operation and that addi-
Iona. nonal Withdrawals should be made I'M
y trade conditions improve. And this
improvement, it was said, cannot come