The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-23
Telephone Main 49CO
KEEPING OUR FLAG AFLoAT

The ruling of Attorney General Dauphertv against the legality of the tentative plan of the United States Shipping Board to operate through subsidiary corporations was not con tingency against which the board was unprepared, and an alternative plan was already in readiness for prompt consideration. The subsidiary corpora lions. which were to be in no sense private corporations, because the board was to hold all the stock, formed the most promising method of carrying out the intent of the merchant marine .act and the desire of the American .people to keep our flag on the high seas. The alternative plan, while be- ing second choice, is put forward by the board in its efforts to atone for the failure of congress to enact a meas ure calculated to preserve the fleet and keep it in the commercial service of this nation.
 The value to Gulf ports alone arising out of the shipping board policy is tremendous and constantly growing. The products of the mills, factories and fields of the South c. joy an unprecedentedly advantageous position because of the development of tonnage for the contiguous ports of the Gulf. This advantage has been due directly to the supply of vessels allocated to Gulf ports, thus giving these ports capacity to handle in- creased commerce. It is worthy of note the shipping board vessels during the month of June carried 63 per cent. of the cotton exported from Gulf ports during June. Had there not been this liberal provision, it is quite probable that the bulk of this 63 per cent. would have gone through At Iantic ports.
 The record of the Gulf ports is of especial interest to the people of Ala bama in view of the purpose of the state to engage in the development of the seaport at Mobile Mobile has had a share of the allocation of ships, and as a result has risen from fourteenth to seventh place in ship ping board operation in the past two years. The tonnage has gone to Mo bile because Mobile has been given the ship capacity to handle that ton mage. Such an immediate and rapid .f J,,o Aa factor alone is but additional assur- Rnce that the expansion of port and terminal facilities will be followed by a still greater development of com merce and by still more liberal allo- cation of ships to carry that commerce to all the ports of the world. Ala bama's strategic location with respect to ocean ports is about to be capital iZed into an unprecedented industrial and commercial expansion for the en- tire state and for all the contiguous territory in other states that the sea- port will logically serve.
 The importance of the merchant marine policy of the shipping board is emphasized by the Memphis Commer- cial-Appeal: Ut seems that we are coming to a tardy realization of our duty to the national merchant marine and to the mariners of our country. The government is doing everything possible to increase and improve it's overseas service from Gulf cities. We are promised a continuation of regu- lar sailings from Gulf ports to the United Kingdom, the Mediterranean, the Orient and Africa. Such op- portunities should inspire us to use American ships even more than we have in the past England became the worlds greatest power largely because of the loyalty of Englishmen to Eng land and to their fellow-countrymen Let us, while riding on the rising tide of our power, do the same"
 And the shipping board, determined to carry on in spite of all obstacles, will give opportunity to Americans in proportion as they manifest an incli- nation to support the merchant ma rine and to contribute tonnage to it's successful operation. To keep our flag on the seas is to keep our goods in every market and to protect our exports from discrimination on the part of foreign ship lines controlled by our commercial and industrial com petitors. That means a permanent and assured prosperity for the whole American people.