New-York tribune., 1922-11-24
Line TO South
America Shows
Riyalry's Use
Commissioners PI u I'm m e r
Cites Ship Board Service
From Here as Example of
Competition Cutting Cost
Brings Increased Cargoes
Subsidy Law Obviates Loss
Caused Farmers by Delay.
From Bad transportation

One OF the best illustrations of the
Importance of the competition Of Amer
lean ships in developing services and
in reducing the costs OF transportation
between this and other countries is
given by the Shipping Boards line be-
tween New York and South America,
said Commissioner Edward C. Plum
mer yesterday in explaining the gov
ernment's present merchant marine
policy to the Boston Chamber Of Com
merce.
For forty years there was practical
iy no American competition on that
route and our trade suffered according
ly," he said. Now that we have put
on Arst-class ships our competitors
have been forced to follow our lead.
We may not be able to carry the car
gees as cheaply as they can, but we
shall have comnelled them to give
transportation at the lowest possible
fgure-and that's all our people need.
They can do the rest.
Huge Loss In Delay
"And here again comes in that fan
damental principle which underlies not
only government aid to shipping but
all international trade" he added.
Every Improvement in and cheapening
OF transportation means an increase In
the amount of cargoes transported. To
delay is to continue the useless ex-
penditure annually of millions Of dol
lars caring for idle ships; to lose all
those trade advantages which this war
built feet has put into our hands; to
put us again within the trade control
OF our competitors in foreign markets
and TO send the bulk of that vast feet
of steel steamers, built with the peo-
pies money and which legislation could
make an asset instead of a liability, to
the scrap heap.
I'VE seek no monopoly in trade We
recognize that from the very nature Of
her empire Great Britain we'll may
aspire to have a merchant tonnage
three times the size of that which may
carry our flag in foreign trade; but
every American can and should stand
squarely on the proposition enunciated
by Fisher Ames, of Massachusetts,, that
We must always have merchant feet
capable of handling 60 per cent Of the
calgoes which our people furnish to
and take from the other nations Of
the world"
Theorists who oppose aid to Amer
lean shipping, the Commissioner de-
clared, overlook the obvious fact that
as those subsidies granted by the gov
eminent to trenscontinental railroad
companies were given not merely to
encourage railroad building, but also
for the larger purpose of developing
The country, so subsidies TO ships are
designed not merely to encourage ship
building and ship operation but also
for the larger purpose Of developing
the ocean trade of the nation and
establishing a vitality important in
dustry.
Links Rail and Water Lines
"The fundamental thought in the
pending shipping bill is to be found
IN Title 8, which compels the CO.
ordination Of rail and water trans
portation. That provision means the
practical elimination of freight block
AIDES, the regular travel of cargoes
along their natural courses" ne con-
cluded.
Already the Shipping Board Ia
inundated TO see that all American
rorts are properly developed. The pro-
posed law will make possible the per-
formance of this mandate. The fifty
mlttions Whlch Che producers OF Nebras-
ka, and the hundred millions which
the farmers of Iowa have lost this
season by reason of transportation de-
lays speak for themselves. They are
losses which have come with full crops
heretofore, and they will come with
full crops hereafter unless a change
similar to that here proposed is made.
ability to reach the market at the
minute the market calls means ths
same to-day as it did in those years
when the wise merchants of Massa-
ehusettes were building those marvel
Gus clipper ships for trade In the Far
East. Every improvement in trans
portation facilities is to be encouraged.
no matter where it Is located, but using
the neighoor's lawn mower is not the
most effective method of uromofine
local friendship"