Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-10-11
SHIPPING BOARD PROBLEMS
Chairman LaSker Understands The
Whole Situation.
PRIVATE INTERESTS give TROUBLE
America Cannot Participate in the
Competition Except at the Expense
of Those Who Are Already in the

|
of Those Who Are Already in the
Business.
New York World, Wednesday.
Hostile forces from within and
without, sowing seeds of discord and
distrust, must be met and vanquished
or America will perish from the
oceans and be confined in carrying
trade to within its own borders"
Chairman Albert D. Lasker Of the
Shipping Board told members and
guests Of the Advertising Club of New
York gathered at luncheon yesterday
in the Hotel Commodore.
obviously we cannot gain trade on
the seas without displacing the exist
ing trade enjoyed by foreign ships"
Mr.. Lasker said. "And these foreign
ers are ever at work, silently but sure
ly, in their own national interest, for
which we cannot blame them, to un-
dermine possibility Of an American
merchant marine. -,
There are those who for myriad
reasons do not wish the status quo
changed. Unfortunately there are
possibly American owners who, feeling
secure In conditions as they exist and
which have Injured and can inure to
the benefit only Of a few, of whom
they form part, selfishly cannot see
unbiasedly a greater American mer-
chant marine and are loath to bring
about any greatly changed conditions.
Increase in Tonnage.
when the tonnage of vessels now
building throughout the world is COM
pleted, there will be an increase Of
nearly one-third as compared with the
pre-war tonnage.
"of our $500 steel steamers. we may
say, in round figures, that one-third.
comprising nearly one-half Of the ton
mage in deadweight, are excellent COM
mercial vessels, one-third are fair, and
the balance, for all practical purposes,
are total loss save for what salvage
can be got out of them. Most of them
are too uneconomical for ocean car
riage to meet the competition of peace
time trade. 80
"The best estimate available today
shows that in tons Of ocean freight
perhaps 60 per cent. as much is nov
ing as In 1913
Because Of the excess Of tonnage,
values of bottoms have so dropped that
time charters are one eighth of the go
ing rates in the third quarter of 1919.
A 10,000-ton steamer can be had under
charter hire for a little over s11,e00
per month as against 100000 when
charter was at its height. In the face
Of these low rates the American owner
finds himself confronted by the keenest
of foreign competition, with the handi-
caps Of higher wages, expensive VIC
tualing and severe legislative require
ments.. Who will question that Amer
lean living standards should be main
tanned on the seas as on the land? Bat
the difference between American and
foreign standards must somehow be
met.
1.-THE Shipping Board has been tying
up tonnage primarily to stop its own
losses.
These sixteen weeks of strenuous
endeavor have accomplished only a
mere beginning, but a real beginning.
In June last the overhead shore or
ganization of the board and the Emer-
gency Fleet Corporation consisted OF
some $500 people, at an annual salary
expenses Of nearly $16,000,00o. With
it's new and what is considered In
some quarters, high priced additions.
the salary roll of nearly $16,ooo,o00 OF
June last has decreased to approxi-
mately s12,00C,000 and the number OF
employees to less than 5000.
I'VE believe we have our losses
checked and hope to require not more
than s5,0O0,000 a month for operations
until the end of the fiscal year, June
30 next. Five million dollars a month
Is a huge sum, but small compared TO
keeping alive an organization with s3,-
500 900, ,0GO invested and operating and
developing essential strategic trade
routes, which must necessarily be run
at loss under present conditions OF
world trade"
After his address Chairman Lasker
was asked II he referred to a subsidy
when he said the difference in crew
expense on American and foreign
ships must be met.
Take it as you want IT," he an
swered.