New-York tribune., 1922-10-01

When tho Bethlehem Steel Corpora
tion awarded twenty-yesr contract
for the transportation Of Chilean orc
TO the United States TO n Swedish
steamship line. which will build in
German yards the worlds largest two
motor ships for that purpose, the in
eident emphasized the lack OF progress
Of American shipping in this most
modern development Of motive power.
Handicapped by higher costs for
construction. wages, subsistence and
overhead. the American merchant ma
flne has not been able TO keep abreast
~ the times Unable 20 compete sue
cessfully for current business. Amcri-
can ships have still more uncertain
outlook for the future.
Motive power. the heart Of shipping,
IS now undergoing change rs i'm
portant as that from wood TO steel.
from the paddle wheel 90 the screw
propeller, or from sail 90 steam. The
stress Of competition on the seas,
always more intense than on land,
forces the leading maritime nations 10
grasp every improvement that means
economy in operation speed. or facil
ity In handling cargoes.
Within the last ten years the art OF
shipbuilding has advanced remarkably,
particularly in types Of engines. There
is now a general trend toward the use
Of oil instead Of coal for fuel. The
result has been notable gain IN eff
cheney, but the significance Of this
movement Is slight compared with the
increase in the number Of motor ships
propelled by internal combustion en-
gines.
Oil Replaces Coal
Tho coal shortage and high prices
% the last two years, due 70 mine
strikes in Great Britain and the United
States, make 10 possible for the oil
burner 20 save about one-half Of the
fuel bill that would be paid for coal.
Furthermore. the motorship is able 70
operate az about one-third of the fuel
cost Of the oil burning steamer. Even
before the motorship has definitely
established its supremacy over the oil
teamcr, which is not expected for
several years, developments in the in
ternal combustion engine promise still
greater savings. The inventions Of
Sperry and Knudsen. which arc not
yet on commercial basis, make il
probable that the cost Of fuel for OPP
Grafton at sea will be reduced still
further.
A feature Of ocean transportation
ia the last year. when shipping has
undergone the worst depression in re
cent history, has been the fact that all
motorships have continued in opera
ton, while from 10 70 25 per cent Of
other merchant ships have been lying
idle.
The United States possesses some
advantage in that 50 per cent OF our
vessels are oil-buners. compared with
rs per cent Of the British fleet. but
this Is Offset by other factors included
in the higher cost Of operation. IN this
connection IL may be noted that Great
Britain has double the tonnage Of
motorships and SIS adding 10 It con-
stantly. while American steamship
lines arc making comparatively slow
progress. Sweden, Denmark and Ger
many are also increasing their motor
ship fleets as rapidly as possible. One
Swedish line disposed Of every steamer
ID owned year ago, and since then
has bought only Diesel-engined ves-
aels. all Of which have operated sue
cessfully through the depression
Motorshlps Show Economy
After ten years Of experiment, the
notorship has established itself as the
best type of cargo carrier up TO four
teen knots speed and 10000 tons cargo
capacity. II still has TO be developed
10 the point where it WILL replace the
steamer as the large, fast passenger
liner.
Il is evident that merchant shipping
is on the threshold Of changes that
will make IL necessary 20 discard ex-
isting types Of ships, or TO re-engine
Them. as fast as they reach the age for
retirement or reconditioning. When
we talk of establishing the American
merchant marine we must think in
terms of the next ten years rather
than Of assisting the vessels now
owned by the Shipping Board or pri-
vate steamship lines.
An indication Of the economies Of
thc motorship over the steamer was