The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1922-08-04


sion of British naval ships to run
down finally and drive these German
commerce raiders off the seas. Thus
in times of war fast merchant ships
divert the very best of ships in naval
service.
Merchant Ships Essential To Navy.
When a navy is engaged in either &C
tive warfare or a blackade at a great
distance from the home base, 1t requires
an unending merchant feet of every
type to keep 1t going-fast passenger
ships for raiding, scouting and car
iriage of airplanes; refrigerator ships
for food; tankers and golfers for
bunkering; and regular cargo ships
for other supplies.
We all too well remember, that
when President Roosevelt made the
proud gesture involved in the dispatch
or. our hattie feet around the world, 1t
had ito 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 its 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 IL an army
Is to be transported, there must be an
amending merchant marine under our
flag. 1t is through the all too late and
costly realization of this very need
| that we find ourselves in possession OF
our today's aforementioned fleet.
Naval Equality Threatened. 49,
II we are to be on anything like q
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 its history; because its vast mers
chant marine, could be used, If no
other navy existed, for war purposes
as well as TO meet peace needs.
In the passenger and combination
| passengerand-cargo ships, which are
the very backbone Of q merchant ms
,rine for wartime needs, we are still
sadly deficient, for our war-built feet
includes few passenger ships. OF this
type O? ships America has today rs
compared to approximately $50 belong
ing to Great Britain, or almost five
times as many such vital ships in
favor OF Britain as against ourselves.
When age and speed, in addition, are
considered, as considered they must
be, the ratio is even higher in favor Of
Great Britain.
SO that all thought must be put aside
that there is any possibility of our being
| on a 5.5.3 naval basis with Great Britain
unless and until we have national policy
to insure the merchant marine which must
be added to the total Of our navy to md
the true basis OF relationship to the naval
actualIties of Great Britain. To say, with
out such merchant marine, that the
Washington conference has resulted in
naval equality between ourselves and Great
Britain, Is to display an Ignorance that
may be paid for later in the humiliation
of our country and at inexeusable sacrifice
lof life and treasure.
Merchant Vessels War Need
Because one OF tile major features Of
President Harding's program Is the de-
| velopment of such a merchant marine under
private American Initiative he willingly en-
tered into the Washington pact. With the
Washington agreement came the cancella-
tion OF many naval ships building and the
ten-year naval holiday. Unless 'an Ameri-
can merchant marine be created during
that period the art of shipbuilding win be
largely lost to America; and u war should
come again, we win find ourselves at sad
disadvantage 10 the maritime nations Of
the world whose shipyards have been kept
alive t7FaVt
| The Legislative program proposed by the
Administration and now before Congress
Is designed to meet at one time both the
naval and peace needs Of our merchant ma
rine. In the next article shall discuss
those peace needs.