Evening star., 1924-11-26
By G.. GOULD LINCOLN.

Ttnr.
BT q. GOULD LINCOLN.
The American overseas merchant
marine Is today an asset to the coll!i-
try-rot a liability, calamity how1ers
20 the contrary Notwithstanding. ]
am referring particularly to the Coy
ernment-owned merchant feet. which,
after all, constitutes the great bulk
OF our overseas merchant marine
outside OF the so-called industrial lines
owned by the Standard OIL the
United States Steel Corporation, the
United Fruit Company. and certain
lumber interests.
The overseas feet is an asset be-
cause OF its aid in the development
Of American trade abroad and be
cause Of its value for national de-
fense. It is we'll TO remember in
the latter connection that il cost the
people about $4,000, 900. 900 to get to-
gether the merchant fleet to help win the
last war. Those who look on the black
side-some because they wish to-
point to the fact that in the opera
ton OF the fleet the Government ex-
pends some sSo,0o0,oeo year over
ana ABOVE receipts.
Loss Is Being Reduced.
The Government feet-operated 10
every corner of the earth and in
many servfces-does an annual bust
ness Of approxilnating 100000
A considerable part Of the $4,000 coo
put up by the Government, this
year goes into overhead expenses o.
an organization in Washington, into
=, - l. ...,yz I
to do with sales and salvaging of
materials. And it must pe taken into
account that under the management
OF the Fleet Corporation this ex
cess expenditure is constantly being
reduced and reduced further.
, Against great odds. adverse differ
/ entails III cost Of construction, oper-
/ alton. repair, q surplus of world ton
mage and the keenest kind OF con1pe-
! tition from old, established foreign
/ lines the Shipping Board and the
Fleet Corporation have carried on"
! The Fleet Corporation today Is
operating the greatest shipping en-
terprise in the world. It is doing so,
except in the case of the United
States lines which ere operated di-
! rect by the Governm through q
/ or 80 managing operators 1t -
/ operating through contract-the So
called VI. O. contract-which has
pfen u6HtuICCi ny u dIIAIdiA<
/ official of the Government who has
i come into contact with. Il as waste
/ :ul. But II sticks. 1t has been modl-
! fed. 1t is true. But the contract still
! is Il cost plus arrangement, with the
! Government paying all loses and
/ percentage commission on all gross
business done by the operators.
L. $. DeveIopes Business.
Against such odds, the business is
being developed Roughly, 1t is dl-
, yided into four trades. the European,
the Mediterranean. the South Amer
can and the Far East Some 54o
sh!ps are in operation. carrying pass
/ engers and freight. OF these c10 are
in the European and Mediterranean
trades and $50 in the South AmsTl-
! can and Far East trades. The serV-
ices to Europe and the Mediterranea
meet the keenest competition in the
worlds carrying trade. Yet the
American ships are getting their
share of the business. And while
they are losing money on the whole
operation, nevertheless they are not
alone in this failure to appear on the
| right side of the ledger. shipping
generally the world over has been
hard hit since the war.
! The brighter and more encouraging
side of the shield. however. is found
in the successes made by the Ameri-
can merchant lines to South America,
to the Far East, and to the still un-
developed trade Of the great West
Coast of Africa and South and East
ern Africa. What the American meT-
chant feet is actually accomplishing
is too often lost sight of In dis
cussion OF it's problems.
Holds Record for Speed.
i Take Il look at the services oper-
i
America. There is the Pan America
Line, run by the Munson Steamship
Line. managing operators. -Four
combination passenger and cargo
vessles Of the American Legion class
are in hits service. They hold the
record for speed against their Brit
ish competitors, and they get the
major portion of the travelling public
because OF speed and service rendered.
There is sailing every II days out
| of New York to Rio, Nontevideo
and Buenos Aires.
The Munson Line also operates tho
I American Dispatch Line, from the Gulf
ports except New Orleans. to the
| East Coast of South America, sail
Ing from Mobile and Tampa Frort
New Orleans. the Mississippi Shipping
Co., another of the managing opera
tors, handles the American Delta Line
! for the Fleet Corporation to the East
Coast of South America The Amer
lean Republican Line, freighters OF
medium tonnage, is operated for the
+, Government by the International
/ FreiEhting Line from New York.
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Norfolk and
! Jacksonville to the East Coast Of
! South America.
One of the most encouraging fea-
! lures of the services to the East
| Coast of South America Is that the
+, Government vessels not only carry
| large cargoes to the foreign ports,
but they return we'll laden. The
| trade between this country and the
South American republics is being
constantly fostered by these trans
portation services.
Return Cargoes Smaller.
one Of the disadvantages OF the
Governmen mt trades to Europe, for ex-
ample, lies in the fact that the ex-
ports of the United States to Europe
are almost three and one-half times
as great as the, imports from that sec
! tion of the world, in bulk. That be-
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