Evening star., 1922-12-07
American Ships Gained Cargo
In Past Year, Report Sho,vs

Continual gain in cargo carried in
American bottoms. the expansion Of
shipping under the American flag in
foreign trade. the establishment OF
, extensive passenger service in the
North Atlantic, the Pacific and to
South America, and the stabilization
. of the governments shipping venture
on a strictly business and economical
! basis. are pointed out as the out
| standing achievements of the Ship
ping Beard and Emergency Fleet Cor
poration for the fiscal year ended
July 80, 1922. in the sixth annual re-
port transmitted yesterday by Chair
man Lasker to Congress.
Tho report shows in a summary OF
the commerce borne in American
ships during the year that Shipping
Board vessels handled 4,3l3913 cargo
tons of imports and 6.634, ,3S1 cargo
| tons of exports, operating through
United States ports. The total ton
mage Of the American merchant ma
rine is fixed at 27.7s4.9S9 deadweight
tons, compared to 27.J3S.466 year
| ago. of this total. 16,273,311 tons was
| employed at the end of 1922 fiscal
year in foreign trade, compared with
16.S13.943 at the end of the previous
yearly period.
Freight Rates Declined.
! The last year. the report shows.
noted a continued decline in freight
! rates and reduction In the number OF
steamers employed in the foreign
trade route. Due to this cond GOn
there was small opportunity for ex-
tension OF old routes or the establish
ment of new ones. At the end of the
year. however, the board had IN
| operation 327 passenger and cargo
ships plying the northern European
ports. 56 to Mediterranean ports. 40
| to South America and the west indies,
81 to the far east and in the inter-
| coastal service.
! Altogether the Shipping Board has
had during its career 3.444 ships to-
! falling about 1959S.9o0 deadweight
! tons. These were obtained from va
rious sources. Some have been sold
and many are now tied VI. idle. The
report shows that Notwithstanding
depression in shipping, there were at
The close of the fiscal year on June
| 80. 1922. approximately 10000 pnch
engaged on vessels Of the American
; merchant marine and larger num-
. Der of longshoremen employed in
! loading and unloading. More than
| s1o.000.000 annually has been saved In
| the reduction of marine and long
shore wages of Shipping Board YES
sells alone. Reductions We're effected
after strikes and negotiations rang
! ing from 1S to 70 per cent.
The policy of the board regarding
| making wage readjustments. is de-
ciared in the report to be based wher-
| ever possible upon collective bar
! gaining which has resulted in a1lay-
| ng as far as possible the discomfort
| and resentment which usually follow
| wage reduct:ons''
During the last fiscal year, tie re-
! port says, there were S1,312 arrivals
and departures OF vessels engaged in
| foreign trade, aggregating S0.2Sl 900
long tons of cargo. OF this total SO
! per cent moved in American bottoms.
In relative efficiency indicated by the
| relation Of load to deadweight tom
mage the American percentage was
| 3I.9 per cent, compared with 36.4 per
! cent foreign. While American ships
used ".62 deadweight tons to move
each ton Of cargo, foreign vessels
| used 274.
| Vessels for Sale.
! Recounting the difficulties which
| had been encountered in the boards
effort to dispose of its idle tonnage.
! the report says, it found that no one
was willing to buy in large quanti-
ties. at anything like a fair price. un
I der present conditions. At the close
! Of the fiscal year the effort to find
! buyers was continuing. but the board
| still had for sale 1856 vessels. to-
falling 10,s09,172 deadweight tons. OF