The New York herald., 1921-12-14
INLAND TOWNS NEED
SHIPS, SAYS LASKER
Shipping Board Chairman Calls
on Agricultural Regions
to Help Marine.
FINDS FARMERS ACTIVE
Whole Nation Must Realize
Need Of Export Trade, Is
Plea at Milwaukee.

MILWAUKEE,, Dec. 13 (Assocated
Press).--In the prairie towns, cities.
villages and farms of our inland States
i the future of America on the seas will
be decided, said Albert D. Lasker, chair
man. of the United States Shipping
Board, addressing the Milwaukee Cham
Der Of Commerce here to-day. The pointa
furtlest from the ocean will decide the
fate of American shipping on salt water,
he said.
"The dwellers of our coastal cities are
naturally for q permanently established
American merchant marine continued
Mr.. i.asker. 1T Is the inland dweller
removed from direct contact with ships
who. has felt a disinterestedness In
American shipping that has almost
amounted to an adverse prejudice ii
American shipping required nationa!
aid to insure its life.
Granting that the 5-5-3 naval pro-
gramme, or some equivalent, be adopted
and that we have naval holiday for
q term OF years, the question of naval
equality Is not solved, because If In ad-
dition to the equalzed navies any one
nation possesses merchant marine OF
convertible strength vastly beyond that
of another nation, the nation possessing
that added convertible merchant tom
nage has the preponderance of naval
power.
I'VE should remember that If we en-
Ter ten year naval holiday and II we
fail to establish merchant marine
American ship yards will be largely
closed and the art OF shipbuilding will
practically be lost to us. Should again
the day come when in the national de-
fence we must make use of our navy we
would be lacking in the yards and the
trained workers to renew its strength
and the nations which during the holi-
day period had kept their yards alive
with merchant marine work would have
an unmatc.hable advantage over us.
But the proponents OF an American
merchant marine must rest their case far
beyond the grounds of national defence
The claims for an American merchant
marine must rest on its economic neces-
sity,to the American people as a whole
"The farmers direct and overwhelm-
ing interest In the overseas trade was
proved not a great while ago in his pres
sure on Congress, which resulted in the
passage of a bill over President Wilson'S
veto directing the resumption of the
War Finance Corporation with authority
TO issue a billion dollars in credit for
aiding him in exporting agricultural and
other products.
customers owe us vast sums of money
which they can only pay IL We take mer-
chandise from them. and IL we permi,
them to sell us merchandise we In turn
must find new world markets for the sur
plus products which we shall thus have
Therefore II is true that stability In
America and restored normal prosperity
must be based on development Of foreign
4. trade and foreign markets In a measure
' never before realized by Americans.
The very life OF foreign commerce is
that the exporting nation should have
regular. constant and uninterrupted
communication to the importing nation
America with its vastly increased need
for export business must insure that ex-
port business by insuring that It owns
and controls the ships to carry its trade
las important as the railroads were ir
tho wrestling of the empire, so now, In
the cycle of events. transportation on the
sea becomes a paramount issue Of the
day, unless American craftsmanship Is
bankrupt and American vision blind"