Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-04-16
Our Vast Marine Investment
. NE hardly would have guessed that the

~ NE hardly would have guessed that the
capital investment in the American
merchant marine, which few years
ago was well-nigh negligible amongst the
trade fleets of the world, now equals or ex-
ceeds that of all the countrys railway sys
TENS. The latter is in the neighborhood OF
twenty billion seven hundred and elghty-fve
million dollars At least that much, thinks so
good an authority as Transportation World,
is involved in our ships, shipbuilding plants,
waterfront terminals and warehouses and
other property and industries directly con-
nected with shipping.
This is the more interesting for the reason
that in 1914 the aggregate seagoing tonnage
of the United States was little more tn two
million tons, according to Lloyds; in June,
1920 it was consid ably mo-. than twelve
million. In 1914 less than ten per ceht of
our foreign commerce was carried in Amer1-
can bottoms; by 1919 the proportion had in
creased to approximately thirty per cent, and
subsequent gains have been steady and pro-
nounced. Particularly important is the in
crease in the capacity of American shipyards.
Illustrating this growth by the deliveries OF
finished ships to the Emergency Fleet COR
poration, Transportation World points out
that in the year 1917 these totaled fifty ships
with deadN eight tonnage of 305,215. "1n
1918 there were 533 ships with gross tom
mage of 5000, 406; while in 1919 there were
1880 vessels delivere with a gross tonnage
of 6379S23. The maximum construction IN
Great Britain prior to the war had never ex-
ceeded 5000, 900 tons. The wonderful record
made in the delivery of ships to the Elmer
gency Fleet Corporation was rendered posi-
Bile only by large expenditure for sh1pbu1ld-
ing plants The expenditures for plant and
property by the Board amounted to $751;
100000 while heavy expenditures were MADE
bv Driyate plants. The capital invested in
shipbuilding plants, dry docks, and repair
plants in 1914 amounted to $156.O0O,OO
and the investments at this time are several
times this figure. The number of men en-
ployed in the shipyards and repair plants in
1914 7-as 444S9, and their wages amounted
to s32931 900 On June 80, 1919. there were
2S9,594 men employed in shipyards under the
control of the Emergency Fleet Corporation,
and their wages amounted to over $500 ,OOO,-
OOO"
It thus appears that we are we'll on the way
to recovering the maritime Importance which
we lost in tie latter half of the Nineteenth
century. In 1925 more than ninety-two n"r
cent of the tountrys overseas trade was
borne in vessels flying the Stars and Stripes.
But as steam engines supplanted sail, ana
steel construction displaced wood, that pro-
portion fell until in 1870 it was thirty-hve !
cent. and some thirty years later onl.' eight
and two-tenths The disadvantages and
perils of that decline were brought sharply
home to US upon the outbreak Of the World
War A better piece of fortune never befell
this nation than the military necessities which
forced it to launch into building great mer-
chant marine. The substantial results of that
effort are of exceeding import nee to every
field of our national interests, industrial and
agricultural IS we'll as commercial. 1t es-
sential, therefore, that Congress omptly take
such steps as are needful to conserve the
trade fleet of today and encourage its up
building.