Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-07-05
FOREIGN CRAB Of
MERCHANT FLEET
WARNED AGAINST

SAN FRANCISCO, July 2.-The
flower of our merchant marine fleet
may be grabbed by foreign-controlled
companies. The loss of American
taxpayers in building and maintain
ing the fleet may be turned to the
gain of our competitors.
We are losing our most valuable
national maritime asset-sea brains.
Government tonnage must be
moved to deep water under bare
boat charters Immediately.
So, today, warns william Denman,
former chairman, OF the shipping
board, building of the wooden f1otillo,
and originator of the war plan for
the fleet.
Charter the best of the tonnage
to American private operators, at
10 wbare-boat per-ton-month rates.
Wipe out the excessive overhead
and the army of employees of the
shipping board.
Turn the expensive fleet of the
mudf1ats into a profitable, deep-water
transportation system-and junk the
wooden fleet, says DAnman.
Uurges Boat Rental
Bareboat basis means to rent
ships at a set price exactly as a
house is rented. The lessee, or char
terer, keeps the boat in repair, pays
crew wage, carries all expense of
maintenance and operation. Thus
expense of upkeep, repair, supply, all
Is transferred from taxpayer to OPP
orator, income replaces outgo. and.
the fleet operates under conditions
favorable to successful competition.
In the rush to get rid of tonnage
the shipping board, unless it is care
full, may sell the best of the ton
mage to camoufaged foreigners, Den
man warns.
From a shipping standpoint" he
says, "the greatest gain made by us
during the war was the increased
number Of men actively engaged in
overseas business. From the mer-
chant marine standpoint it is our
greatest national asset, greater, even,
than ships themselves. We are los
ing these men from maritime COM
merce in the present stagnation,
while our competitors flags make
hours gains in proportion of ton
mage carried.
Immediate Use Demanded
EVERY American interest de-
mands immediate use of the greatest
possible number of shipping board
ships. Operators cannot buy them
because banks will not advance mon
ey on tonnage that may depreciate
within six months one-half it's ap-
praised value.
The policy of the first shipping
board was for private operation of
ships, so far as compatible with
war uses. That policy has been con-
s:stently followed by the board-in
theory. 1t should be applied to it's
widest extent in present conditions.
Private operation means economi-
cal operation, cheaper freight under
pressure of competition, more goods
carried to foreign markets, less glut
of domestic markets. 1t means saw
ship lines-it means the difference
between an American merchant ma
rine adm NO American merchant ma
rine.
Offers Solution
There is but ONE method by
which private operation of our ships
can be stimulated immediately
bareboat charter of vessels at a rate.
however low, which will enable us to
operate the maximum number and
SApOlI the SIIIlltIn QutnllLy VI
goods. Even if we could sell a. large
portion of the fleet at an accept
able scrap price, it would be wiser
to charter to escape the likelihood
of acquisition of tonnage by foreign
controlled but camouflaged American
corporations. We can study our
bareboat charter and ascertain who
really are Americans and who are
foreign
81 am glad the new chairman of
the shipping board is doing some
thing toward scrapring the wooden
fleet. 1t should have been done long
ago. Our announced policy in build
ing these ships was that they were
purely as non-commercial. and mere
ply emergency war implements. I
chose the word Emergency, for the
fleet corporation to stress this fact.
These ships should have been re-
garded, as soon as the war closed,
as the army regarded its, wooden
pontoons built but not used to car
ry soldiers into action.
I'VE should have been building Die
sci motor ships for the last four
years-but that is another story"