Evening star., 1921-06-19
ny G. COULD LINCOLN.
ME future of the American mer-
chant marine-the great fleets
nf nerchanf vessels built to


States Shipping Board recently ap
pointed by President Harding. TO
very large extent wilfthe maintenance
of An American merchant marine De
pend upon the administration OF TN
new board.
1t is a stupendous task that con
fronts the incoming board. congress
has been thoroughly aroused over re-
ports that money has been wasted D!
the millions and more in the admins
tration of the Shipping Board ane
Emergency Fleet Corporation. There
Is a demand for an immediate cureaai'
ment of expenditures. The Shipping
Board has been denied the money de-
manded for continuing the operation
Of vessels during the coming nsca
year-asked for in the second de-
ficiency bin. There Is an understand
ing, however. that il the new boaro
begins to make reforms in the matter
of expenditures and adopts improved
business methods Congress will pu'
through another appropriation bill
granting the money needed.
No Valuation Of Vessels.
A condition of worldwide depres-
sion makes the task of the Shipping
Board very much more difficult than II
would otherwise be. report by Al
miral W. S. Benson. then chairman oi
the board, transmitted to the Senate
on Shipping Board operations on June
/, and now in the process OF oelne
printed, declines to place value on the
vessels owned by the government. The
report says:
TT is obviously unfair to use as a
basis for the ascertainment OF values
Of these vessels the prices obtaining IN
the midst of a worldwide depression
Therefore, it was thought best to omit
any attempt to place a valuation on
vessels"
The situation is that the United
States government-the Shipping Board
in this case-has a great number OF
vessels which it desires to sell. But. at
present, there is no market for them
The carrying trade has fallen of enor-
mously. Also, other nations are get
ting back into the game and are do
ing their best to obtain the trade from
the American vessels.
1t is the announced policy Of the
administration to do all it can to aid
in the maintenancsrard development Of
the American merchant marine. But it
is also the desire. Of the administration
that the government get out OF the
shipping business and that the vessels
now owned by it become the property
of American shipping companies owned
and controlled by Americans.
The report of the Shipping Board
shows the conditions existing as OF Feb
ruary %, 1921, and 1t is believed that
there has not been much change since
that date. None Of the vessels OF the
Shipping Board is now being operated
directly by it. Those that are in op-
er:.tion are operated in conjunction with
private interests. some OF them being
chartered to private interests and oper-
ated entirely by those interests. For
instance, of the government-owned ves-
sells 97s, with a total tonnage Of $685.
100 deadweight tons were at that time
operated in conjunction with private IN
terests, and 2i, with a total tonnage OF
ls4,O7S deadweight tons, were operated
entirely by private interests.
Over 80 Vessels Tied Up.
At the same time a srand total OF
756 vessels of all kinds. With total
tonnage of 1884, ,6SS deadw eight tons,
owned by the government were tied
up and not in operation. vt was
stated that the expense of daily MAIN
tenance on these vessels not in olrra-
tion amounted to $26,766.72. This Is
a considerable daily expense, but tho
Shipping Board found that it was
either impossible to operate these yes.
sells because of lack Of business or
that it cost considerably more to
operate them than the revenue from
their operation amounted to, and dis
continued operation.
OF these vessels not in operation
very large number were wood Ves-
sels-in fact, 269. The list of vessels
in operation showed only twenty-five
of the fleet of wood vessels on the
seas doing business. 1t is these same
wood vessels that the government is
having great difficulty in selling. They
were constructed to meet a war need
because they could be built quickly
when vessels and more vessels were
tho demand, and it looks today as
though the government was going to
be. compelled to take a huge loss on
these boats-as it will also on many
of the steel vessels. too. unless the
market improves considerably.
These vessels were tied up, and still
are tied up. at ports all along the
coast line, from New York to Georgia
TO Texas,'t California and to Seattle
Wash, One of the tables submitted
by the board shows general reasons
Why these boats were not in opera.
tion, and a great many were said tc
be laid up because of insufficient
business; many others were said te
be mot suited for commercial pur-
poses" and still others were reported
TO be without available market. Some
Of the vessels had been tied up fol-
800 days, almost a year. while Others
had been tied up a much less time.
Over $50 Vessels Sold.
Tho Shipping Board had sold very
considerable number of vessels up to
February 2s. 1921: The grand total sc
disposed Of was 457::' with total tonnage
of 7,oS4.s1i deadweight TONS. OF these
a2s were steel vessels Of various types
~ were wood and IL were COMPOSITE
For these vessels the Shipping Board
received a total Of $322.s2s.Ss5.Ss. But
~ verv fact that 50 many vessels have