Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-07-20

LASkEH SAYS AMERICAN MER-
CHANT MARINE NOW LIKE RAIL
ROAD OWNING ONLY FREIGHT
CARS AND NO PASSENGER
EQUIPMENT; says PASSENGER
AND OTHER TYPE SHIPS ESSEN
TiAL TO NATIONAL PROSPER
ITY.
Note: This IL the second of
series Of six articles on the American
Merchant Marine by the Chairman
OF the Shipping Board
ARTICLE z.
Ships, more ships, and again more
ships
"A bridge Of ships to Europe"
Build ships and win the war"
These are familiar cries that will
remain indeiible in the minds OF all liv
ing Americans, reminiscent Of one of
our major war programs, and needed
as one Of the main factors that con-
tributed to the ending of the war In
the fall Of 1918.
True, hardly any of the Govern
ment built ships found their way in
to commerce until after the conclu-
sion Of the war; but the knowledge
on the part Of Great Britain and our
other Allies that renewals and re-
placements were so soon to come
from American yards, led them, in
ST ,h,,,a
fare, TO a profigate use Of their own
tonnage; for they knew that, while
Germany was destroying their bot
toms in increasing ratio during the
spring and summer Of 1918, by the
fall OF that year American ships in
an unending stream would be ready
For ten years prior to 1914 our
tota! annual production Of ships in
American yards averaged 466 900 d
W. t. tons. In the period of 1914 to
1917, because OF orders for ships
| placed with us by the Allies, our
| to 100000 d. W. t. tons. In April OF
1917 the Shipping Board began its
plans for the building of the present
GoYernment-owned feet, and the in
crease in American production OF
tonnage was SO rapid that in the last
six months Of 1918 and the first six
| months OF 1919 our yards produced
a total of 4,553,2s8 tons
Vision OF Marine Power Lacking
How did we accomplish this mir
acle OF production? First, let 1t be
| said, to the unendfng glory Of the
| spirit Of our nation, that we gave UNI
| stfnted Of our treasure and of our
men to the building of the much
| needed merchant marine feet SO es-
| sentially needed for the winning OF
| the war. Had we had in pre-war
| days the vision OF what such a feet
would have meant to US in war, we
never would have had to make this
| for we would, in large part, have
possessed the ships ready for peace
or wartime needs
But neither the sacrifice of money
nor the time Of men could have re-
suited in the creation Of so vast a
feet in SO short time had we not
been willing to utterly disregard one
prime factor in the manufacture OF
ships, to wit: the peace-time value
Of the ships We created.
War Fleet Badly Balanced.
BY this / mean that our whole
| effort was directed-and for wal
| purposes, properly-to the creation
Of the maximum tonnage in the
shortest time-anything that could
carry men and goods, regardless OF
cost OF construction and operation
| his, while exactly right for wars
@2sipr 'farassites left Ms at tbs
conclusion of our building program,
with vast tonnage untitled In large
measure for peace-time needs; be-
cause for peace needs, tonnage must
be measured by two factors; econ
omy OF operation and fitness for
varying trades and purposes. Our
War-built feet could obviously take
| neither factor into consideration
This, white resulting In the produc-
tion OF ships as il by magic, had the
grave disadvantage OF creating the
most sadly balanced merchant feet
the world ever knew,
That the reader may better understand
baiance, let me liken ships to railroad
equipment, with which all are familiar A
railroad, TO operate successfully must nave
nat cars must have inclosed freight cars
70 take regular mixed freight and larger
cars to carry automobiles and the like 1t
must have special cars to carry coal and
stiii other cars fitted for express puEp oses,
IL must have refrigerator cars capable of
taking care OF varying types Of conmodi-
ttes 1t must hare highly specialized
equipment for passenger traffic day
coaches and parfor cars, Pullman sleepers
and dining cara
Aust Have Passenger Ships.
The same sense Of balance and equipment
must obviously exist In q merchant feet
To compare the ships which the Govern
msnt owns to railroad equipment, we
might say that the 1880 steel ships under
the Shipping Board consist largely of that
type compi rable. to the regulation freight
car, while practically none % the especial
equipment needed, such as railroads have
for furniture carriage automobile carriage
express service and refrigerator service
exists.
Again. to iken our ships to freight cars
TOO many are OF wrong sizes for practical
technical operation. We are still sadly de-
neisat In passenger ships. These passenger
ships, A. will later develop, are the very
foundation OF 4 merchant marine for war
ana peace time needs.
was because We were willing to sacri-
nee baianes TO quantity production which
was essential for the immediate needs of