The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1922-07-21

| tiiO SlO0t NAClidilo III 1iSh oAAA
capital in the development of our
country, resulted in steady drop OF
interest in shipping.
At Outset Of World War.
At the stars of the world war in
1914, Americas passenger fleet in the
! North Atlantic had dwindled to the
shameful total of six, to wit: The
Finland, Kroonland, st. Paul, ST.
Louis, Philadelphia, and New York.
The aid given them in the way of
postal subsidy by our government was
undoubtedly the chief reason four of
them were able to continue in SER
vice at that date.
In other words, 1914 found us no
longer merchant marine power, but
one utterly dependent on foreign
flags for the carriage of our sur
pluses; and, of course, we had to pay,
and pay heavily, for the service
rendered by them.
Fortunately for us, Great Britain
and its allies, in the prosecution of
the world war, needed all the
materials we could give them, and
therefore sent their ships to our
shores in their own interest.
Lesson to U. s. In BOer War.
Perhaps not as fresh in public
memory is the marine experience of
the Boer war. This, conducted ON a
lesser scale but at greater dis
lance, required more of Britain's
tonnage for her own use and less of
Americas materials. 1t resulted in
the serious curtailment of our in
dustrial line; for when Britain, ON
whom we were dependent for the
greater portion. Of our sea carriage,
withdrew million tons of ships from
the North Atlantic, our farmers and
our manufacturers saw their sur
pluses on which their foreign market
depended waiting yainly for ships,
until even their domestic market
was destroyed
Immediately upon our entrance in
to the war in 1917 there arose a cry
from all the allies, voiced by Lloyd
George, the prime minister of the
greatest maritime nation of the
world, for Ships, more ships, and
again more ships" as the foremost
from America.
Building to Fin a Gap.
We all remember the feverish en-
thusiasm with which, through treas
ury drains, shipyards were created at
all available points, resulting in
government building of more than
100 ships, with more than 11,0OO;-
700 lightweight tons capacity.
We started to build these ships
hat we might quickly and in great
quantity carry our men and supplies
% the battle front. No one factor
brought the war to a quicker con-
fusion than the kaiser.s recognition
hat America was verify arranging to
pan the Atlantic with a bridge of
hips.
So that if every ship built or then
eing built by the government, in
diving total cost of more than
hree billion dollars, had been dis
lantled or sunk at the wars end,
1ey would properly have paid for
lemselves in the short cut that re-
llted in the ending of the war and
l the saving of man and treasure.
Hasten Return of Prosperity. 6
Happily, while everything else
'eated for war purposes has had to !.
, salvaged as scrap, Americas war
rift merchant marine has been
rned into a peace-time asset, thus
tablishing the possibility of turn y
g thesword into the plowshare. 1t :,
apparent that after the war term
ated the great prosperity America -
joyed would have been impossible =
thout the existence of our govern :
emit owned feet. =
America came out of the war
editor nation, whereas before it
ID been a debtor nation. Prior to .
IA the maritime nations of the
,rld, to whom we owed vast sums, 81
uld surely be counted upon to III
nd their ships to our shores that q,
, might pay in our products the =
BITS we owed them. W
Today, however, they are the debt p
5, we the creditors; there is not il
e same reasons why they should M
nd their ships for SURPRISES. More .ll
err, we must compete with them if ~
} are to dispose of our surplus prod a,
is in the available markets of the eli
rid. 1t is not to be supposed they
II give US those facilities which hi
= essential to world commerce to ia
able us to compete with them. W.