The Washington herald., 1922-05-21
DECLARES MARINE
SALVATION LIES IN
GOVERNMENT AID
Lasker Announces Com
pletion of Shipping
Board Program.
1000 VESSELS IDLE
Chairman Says Inlanders
Must Cooperate to Build
Up Export Trade.
1000 VESSELS IDLE

Chairman Lasker Of the United
States Shipping Board announced
yesterday the Completion of the
greatest shipbuilding undertaking
in history.
The last of the ships America
ordered built to help win the war
has been completed by the Bethle-
hem Shipbuilding Corporation. at
the Sparrows Point, Md, yard, and
turned over by the Shipping Board
to the Munson Line for operation
In the South American service. The
ship is the "535" passenger and
cargo steamer Western World"
From May "a. 1917, when the
wood cargo carrier North Bend"
the first vessel to be built under
wartime contracts. was turned
over to the government by Kruse
& Banks, North Bend, Ore. to May
8. 1922. the United States Shipping
Board constructed 2.3l2 vessels of
various types. aggregating 1856
III dead weight tons.
Over 1000 Laid Up.
Today more than 1000 of these
vessels are laid up. due to the de-
pressing condition OF the worlds
markets. as well as to the inability
of the American operator to COM
pete with his foreign competitors
from the standpoint Of expenses.
The salvation of the American
merchant marine lies solely in gov
eminent aid" commented Mr.. Las
ker- The proposed ship subsidy
bill which is now being discussed
before a joint Congressional COM
mittee consisting of members Of
the Senate Committee on Commerce
and the House Committee on Mer-
chant Marine and Fisheries. pro-
vides adequate means. subject to
such amendments as are advisable
and practical. for the restoration OF
American maritime prestige.
Until the citizen who resides in
land co-Operates with his brother
on the various coasts of the coun-
try in realizing the dement's to be
obtained from government aid. and
truly feels that he will share
directly or indirectly in the pros
perity that is to follow the up
building OF our export and import
trade. all efforts to put our idle
fleet in operation will be futile
This is matter for the entire ma.
tion to support. not only from
spirit Of patriotism and of pridS
but for the even greater purpose or
economic and national preservation
Must Find Markets.
, America must build UP its ex-
port trade: it must find markets for
pts surplus production. No nation
has been successful in carrying out
these policies unless il has had a
6trong merchant marine capable OF
transporting its own comn cdities to
fhll ports Of the world. n Its own
bottoms. as we'll as maintaining et-
f1cient connections in these ports.
in order to obtain return cargoes.
For US the only solution lies in Fed
eral assistance"
The vessels built during and after
the war consisted of reQuisitIoned
and contract steel cargo carriers.
tankers, refrigerators. transport.
collier and combined passenger and
cargo carriers: contract wood cargo
carriers. barges. tankers, finished
hulls. and sailing vessels: contracr
composite cargo carriers: contract
concrete cargo carriers and tank
,ers; steel and wood ocean tugs and
lsteeI and wood harbor tugs.
n
was not confined entirely t. the
thirty steel cargo carriers of 243.-
29O dwt. and China four steel cargo
carriers of 10000 dwI.
Former Maximum I'm 1908.
Prior to the entrance of the
UNITED States into the war. the
Inaximum yearly output of ships in
this country was in the year 1908
iwhen l,457 vessels of 921,324 dwt,
Including all vessels OF five net tons
and over. were built; of steamships
'hlOne the total was 722.436 dwt.
The original program called for
$40 ships of 1S.407.276 dwt. After
lthe armistice all construction was
cancelled. thus reducing the pro-
ram by 95S ships Of 4,77O.565 dwr..
Fhich represented approximately
10 per cent of all vessels that had
bot reached a degree Of completion
pr s5 or 80 per cent. and more than
Pne-half of the vessels yet to be
launched.
On August 3. 1917. 431 vessels un-
er construction in shipyards
throughout the United States were
equlsitioed by the governments
Thirteen of this number were re-
easeo. before completion, to for
per owners; % were cancelled, and
he status Of IL changed from req
isinoned to contract vessels
hereby leaving a total of asI
equlsitioned vessels on the active
nstruction program Of the cor
Pration.
wooden ships suece.sfuI.
The wooden ship program n, +b.
Prporation had reached totaI
l'oiI vessels Of various types at
time construction was cr-N
NED OF this number +2S IT,.
aosequently cancelled, 474 ws-s
eted. eon-
When the Emergency F1ss. c
ration adopted the plan Of bniId-
fabricated ships and awardsd
ntracts for total of 3sO vessnIs
presenting 2.675.OOo dwt.. douhf
Is expressed in some quarters a.
the success of this type OF con-
ruction. which was a radical
ange from the accepted method.
was recognized. however. that hv
wing the hull steel fabricated a,
bridge and structural shons
roughout the country and then
sembled at the shipyards, a con-
terable expansion of the shin
ilding Industry was possible.