The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-02
BUT-WE BUILT THE SHIPS!

BUT-WE BUILT THE SHIPS!
 The United States Shipping Board now
 deems the distribution of the nations ships
 among the nations ports sufficiently bal sufficient extent to warrant an application to the Interstate Commerce Commission for consideration of through export rate schedules. Under the present system, with a domestic rate to seaboard and an ocean rate thence to overseas destination, the total cost of send ing goods from American inland producing to foreign ports is greater than if there were a through rail and maritime rate based on through bills of laden from point of origin to port of destination. Inasmuch as such through rates cannot be in force between American railroads and foreign ships, it nat. urally follows that such rates between Ameri- can railroads and American ships, reinforced by the psychological influence of through bills of lading, will swing much of our export tonnage to American bottoms
 The effect upon the ports of such policy will be to extend to all ports an equality of opportunity they did not enjoy under the old system of special favors to ports under the patronage of the great east and west lines. It will now be to the financial inter- est of shippers, all other things being equal. to ship their goods to the nearest port. This will tend to relieve periodical rail congestion, by shortening the ton miles to seaboard, and will relieve the shipping public of the finan- cial tax imposed by the private manipulation of traffic to suit the private benefit of trans- portation agencies. Under the shipping boards policy of allocating as many vessels to the various ports as their tonnage calls for, the Gulf ports have already come to denied them. Not only do ships go to the ports where tonnage is, but also tonnage goes to the ports where ships come. An invitation to ships is an invitation to tonnage and an invitation to tonnage is an invitation to ships. As unto the bow the string is, so unto the ships is tonnage, useless each with out the other, if the gentle spirit of Longfel- low will sanction such a patriotic and ma terial application of his magnificent simile.
 But however greatly successful merchant marine will act as stimulus to our commerce and to our surplus production, yet the United States Shipping Board is never forgetful of that great and indispensable role the mer- chant fleet plays as an arm of defense in time of war. navy is helpless without the support of a merchant fleet. That fact is incontestbie, and was not questioned during the war when this nation bent all its energies to the frenzied building of ships, "and yet more ships" at the crisis of the contest. Had it not been for Engand's ships, the allide powers could no thave been fed during the war; essential equipment produced in America could not have been delivered to them fast enough, our own army and it's supplies and munitions could never have been taken abroad in time. Had it not been for the rapid launchings in our own country, the war would have been prolonged indefinitely. and perhaps it might at last have turned out otherwise But-we built the ships!
 Now there devolves upon us the solemn re- sponsibility to preserve that fleet, to make it the basis of permanent merchant marine, which shall stand as constant and unfailing bulwark between us and any emergency that may come upon us in the future. We have learned our lesson. Shall it be said of us that we have forgotten it so quickly, es- pecially when it cost us billions because of our unpreparedness? The shipping board has performed Il signal and deathless service in keeping our merchant fleet in service to the extent of our tonnage demands, not only because thus it served our commerce, but far more because it has preserved the founda- tion of our navy. without which all our mag nificent and costly vessels of war are dimin- ished to less than half their aggressive value