New-York tribune., 1922-12-11

The vital interdependcnce OF the
navy and the merchant marine, for
national defense In war and for the
promotion Of foreign trade in peace,
was outlined by J. l. Aekerson, vice
president of the Merchant Shipbu,ld-
ing Corporation and president Of the
Atlantic Coast Shipbuilders' Assoeia-
tion, in an address during the week be-
fore the Engineers Club Of Philadel-
phia.
Mr.. Ackerson expressed the opinion
that a merchant marine Is needed
more as an auxiliary to national de-
fense than as a commercial enterprise.
II we could be assured that there
would be no further wars, he said,
there would be no need for an army, n
navy, n merchant marine or tariff.
"A tariff in its simplest form 10
merely a measure used 20 build up a
country so Il can be independent Of
others and can be self-sustaining prin-
cipally In time Of war A tariff wall
Is actually a military wall. Countries
that are old enough and that have
large enough armies and navies and
merchant marines may conceiyably get
along we'll enough without n tariff, as.
for example, England.
"Until we are certain that we are free
from aggression we must maintain an
army and a navy adequate for defense.
An adequate navy for defense consists
Of C) Fighting ships, which include
special ships such as airships. subma-
rines, ETC.; (2) non-hghting ships, such
as troop ships, supply ships, fuel ships,
etc. One class Is just as important as
the other. The first class, that Is,
fighting chips, are built 10 order and
are kept IN service during peace times
at a great expense for use in time Of
war. There Is no alternative. The
second class, troop ships, fuel ships,
etc, could be built for, used by, and
cared for by the navy In exactly the
same manner, although to do so would
entail a very burdensome expense.
"By far the better way, however, 10 20
insure a merchant marine that In time
Of war will adequately serve the needs
Of a naval auxiliary. In this way only
a small fraction Of the expense OF ere
ating this naval auxiliary falls on the
tax payer. The remainder falls on the
shipping industry itself.
Fighting ships without auxiliary
ships do not and can not make an ade-
war we were hard pressed for auxiliary
ships and had TO charter foreign ships
10 provide coal for our fighting feet.
In the great war. in 1914 before we
came into the war, our export trade,
except for munitions, was practically
at a standstill simply because the war
ring nations owned nearly all OF the
merchant ships ahoat and used them
10 serve their own purposes, leaving
our own merchandise on the docks.
And even when II became necessary
for US 10 enter the war we had for a
long time 70 depend almost entirely
upon foreign or interned ships to make
up our naval auxiliary.
Necessary for Trade
~We come now TO the second reason
for a merchant marine, that Is, the
commercial reason. American manu-
facturers, importers and exporters,
have for many years been handicapped
by the non-existenee OF an American
merchant marine.
"Not 80 many years ago when ! was
In the navy, spent two years In South
America. The mail address OF the
American feet In South America was
care IS. =. Stevens, Trafalgar Square,
London, and all Of our mail from the
United States to South America went
an English ships 10 England and thence
IA South America on English ships.
Our admiral IN order 70 reach Monte
video had 70 travel via London because
the passenger ships. which were ei. Bit
fah. ran only between the United states
and England and between England and
south America, but, Of course, none ran
between South America and the United
States. Until the United States within
the past few years put on an adequate
service between the United States and
South America. there virtually was no
Improvement in twenty years In that
service. Yet the service between Lon-
don and South America, and between
Hamburg and South America has been
excellent for years past.
zone more commercial reason is mat
every dollar paid in freights % for,,
- .hinping company is a dollar gold
eaportsd abroad; whereas every dollar
paid 10 an American shipping company