The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1922-08-24
TRAD
BACKBONE
NAVAL | | POWER ] | ! /
AGREEMENT RESULTING
FROM. LIMITATION OF ARMA.
MENTs CONFERENCE NuLL II.
Fled UNLESS u. s. HAS STRONG
: MERCHANT zMARlNE,..L AskER
j. SAYS; CITES FLEETS WORLD
CRUISE. ADMINISTRATION. =
= Note: This is the fourth of a series
of articles on the Merchant Marine by
the Chairman of the Shipping Board.
ARTICLE a.

4uc GREAT conference on the L1ml-
tation of Armaments, which ended
with such happy results at Washing
tons provides for American naval
strength on an equality with that of
Great Britain, Japan's in turn being
forty per. cent. less, This is known
popularity as the 5-5-3 naval agree
ment. y,
But there can be no thought of
naval equality if that equality is to
rest on purely naval ships. "A mer-
chant marine is as much a part of
nations navy as the capital ships of
the navy itself The veriest layman,
If he but stop to consider, will realize
that in time of war navy requires
ships for b,1nkering, ships for supplies,
both of the cargo and refrigerator
type, to an extent that no navy pos
sesses in time of peace. In addition,
the very backbone Of navy for of.
fensive warfare is merchant marine
of the fast cruiser and raider type.
This was exemplifed during the war
by depredations committed by the
PRINCE ETHEL FREDERICK. KRON.
PR1Nz FREDERICK WILHELM and
MOBWE, and other fast German mer-
chant ships on the merchant shipping
Of the world. 1t required a wide diver
sion of British naval ships to run
GOWN finally and drive these German
commerce raiders off the seas. Thus
" times of war fast merchant ships
divert the very best Of ships in naval
service! s.< ~.
Merchant Ships Essential To Navy.
When navy is engaged in either &C.
tive warfare or a blackade at a great
distance from the home base, it requires
an unending merchant fleet of every
type to keep it going-fast passenger
ships for raiding, scouting and car
riage Of airplanes; refrigerator ships
for food; tankers and GOLFERS for
bunkering; and regular cargo ships
FOR other supplies. 49, =
We all too well remember, that
when President Roosevelt made the
proud gesture involved in the dispatch
of our battle fleet around the world, it
had to be bunkered and supplied In
the Pacific almost entirely by foreign
flag ships. Our naval giant, while i'm
pressing the world, at the same time
proved it's feet were made of clay.
Such shame and impotency must
never again come to America. -,
In addition to our naval needs, the
late war has proved that If an army
IS to be transported, there must be al
unending merchant marine under our
flag. It Is through the all too late and
costly realization of this very need
that we find ourselves in possession of
our today's Government-owned fleet.
Naval Equality Threatened.
If we are to be on anything like
naval parity with Great Britain under
( the 5-5-3 program, then there is no
problem before the American people
that presses more urgently for solu-
/ ton than the problem Of our merchant
marine. AS Secretary DENLY has said,
If all naval armament were ended by
world agreement, Great Britain would
be more powerful on the sea than ever
In It's history; because its vast mer>
chant marine, could be used, i no
other navy existed, for war PURPOSES
as well as to meet peace needs.
1s In the passenger and combination
passenger-and-cargo ships, which are
the very backbone OF q merchant ma