New-York tribune., 1921-07-16
Protection for
Shipping Urged as
Immediate Need
Fields S. Pendleton Saws
Preferential Policy Is
Vital to Maintenance
of the Merchant Marine

From The Tribmme's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, July 15-If the gov
ernment fails to adopt strong policy
of protection for American shipping,
billions, in addition to those already
spent, may easily be wasted on the
governments merchant feet, Fields S.
Pendleton declared in statement made
before the House Committee on Mer-
chant Marine and Fisheries to-day.
Mr., Pendleton is member of the firm
Of Pendleton Brothers, ship owners,
operators and brokers, Of New York
City.
Immediate adoption of such a policy,
Mr.. pendleton said, was necessary be-
fore the government could induce pri-
vate American capital to purchase it's
ships. American shipping, he added,
could not be made profitable until such
national shipping policy is adopted.
The government of the United States
is to blame for the lack of an efficient
merchant marine to-day" Mr.. PEN
dleton told the House committee. "This
is so because through cowardice or in
difference the government so far has
been unwilling to establish an Ameri-
can shipping policy. We do not like to
offend the other maritime powers
I'VE seem to want to find an effec-
tive American shipping policy that will
be lnoffensive to our maritime COM
petltors, and there amt no such ami
mall
"In 1914, before the outbreak of the
european war, our merchant marine in
foreign trade aggregated 100000 tons
now it aggregates 100000 tons. With
our 100000 tons we carried 10 per
cent of our foreign trade, but with our
12,OOO,OO0 tons we carry but 35 per
cent.
"It, is not that our trade has so in
creased in bulk that 35 per cent is all
we could hope to carry of it, but it is
because our merchant marine has been
SO inetticiently managed, by and large,
that it accomplished only about half
what it should have accomplished
Great Britain's shipping has not in
creased appreciably over what it was
in pre~war times, but it carries as large
proportion Of the worlds foreign
commerce now as it carried in 1914-
it is so much more efficient thanaours is.
american private owners of Ameri-
can shipping could place it under for
eign flags and operate it at the same
profit at which foreigners operate their
ships under foreign flags, and if the
American government persists in re-
fusing to adopt an American maritime
policy that is what will eventually
happen, or our ships will rot at their
moorings, while our foreign rivals re-
capture our foreign carrying.
'For American ships to succeed in
foreign carrying they must be fortified
in some way to meet cheaper foreign
competition. This necessitates q pro
fective governmental policy. The pref
cradle policy is one that will create
such preference for the American
ships In carrying our foreign commerce
as to compel shippers to use it; and
this should be done without recourse to
the national Treasury.
"That is the way it was done during
the three-quarters of century, that
preceded the Civil War when instead
Of shipping problem we had pros
porous and profitable shipping-an ade-
quately protected shipping.
"All that is necessary for the mer-
chant ships of the United States to
find immediate and profitable employ
ment in foreign carrying--irl American
foreign carrying--is for our govern
ment to restore its early, effective ship
ping policy of preferential, or DIS
eliminating import duties and tonnage
dues.
"That done the United States could
sell its merchant ships to private
American citizens--nothing done, the
United States will continue to own it's
merchant shipping until it wears out,
by which time the government may
easily enough waste another three or
four billions dollars on it."