The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1920-1982, 1922-08-02

Through the agency Of the Elmer
gency Fleet Corporation (whose stock
is owned by the Shipping Board, rep
resenting the National GOVERNMENT,
the ships originally intended for war
purposes were, at the conclusion OF
the war, under mandate Of Congress,
Immediately put into operation by the
Government, to meet Americas peace
time needs.
Wood Ships Colossal Error.
At the height Of its operations, DC
tober, 1920, the Shipping Board had
1917 steel ships plying between GU,
shores and those Of foreign markets
With the decline which has come in
world trade, we are now Gully y, op
Grating 437 steel ships, Of total Of 3,
50s,4S5 lightweight tons, and have So;
steel ships, of total Of 6,644,445 tons
tied up.
For the purposes Of the future, in
surveying the Governments feet, We
may eliminate the wooden ships, the
creation of which, to my mind, was q
colossal error that even war CANNOT
forgive. Certainly the then Admin
istration had ample warning through
General Goethals Of the tragedy o,
waste the wooden-ship program en-
tailed.
Thus, the Governments problem O,
temporary operation and ultimate dis
position is involved in the 1,430 stee'
ships which it possesses.
When Shipping Board operations
were at their height, American vessels
carried As per cent. of the value Of
our in-and-out foreign commerce. To
day, with business depressed, we art
carrying but IS per cent: this due
largely to the fact that in time of sore
depression, the nations with either
or both old established lines and low
or standards Of living make it hard
for us to compete.
However. the AT steel ships the
Government is today operating are
covering practically every trade route
In the world, insuring constant access
to the markets available for the prod
uct of America.
Fleet Kept Freight Rates Down.
Immediately after the close of the
war. had we not possessed the Gov
ernment-owned feet, there is no doubt
that freights would have scared even
higher than they did; and today were
Americas aforementioned tonnage
withdrawn from the seas. our traders
would pay increased tolls to foreign
owners. So we must remember that
while the operation OF the feet il cost.
Ing US millions, it is saving us mil
lions in freights and insuring us con-
tinuous relations with our customers.
The Shipping Board, including i'd
minastrative expense, cost Of tie-up
and maintenance Of Its unused feet,
and the operation Of over 400 ships
10 being run at cash outlay of the
Treasury approdmating $60.000.000
annually. This does not take into &C.
count the cost Of the ships and conse-
quent capital charges.
1t Is true that overhead would not
be greatly increased If the operation
OF more ships were needed to take
care of Americas trade. But my ex-
per1ence as Chairman Of the Shipping
Board has caused me to realize, as
never realized before. that Govern
mont operation is az poison ivy in the
garden of industry.
l do not want to be understood as
hsinuating that the Shipping Board
is not. today making a very good op.
GRAFTON Of the ships 1t is running. In
its early history, however, because Of
the vast fleet it had to run without
properly trained organization. the re.