Evening star., 1925-06-25
Ford's High Marine Wage Scale.

Henry Ford, who is entering the
shipping business in order to provide
carriers of his own for his products
has established a wage scale that runs
much higher than that paid on other
American freighters. The higher
wages paid on American-fiag nfer
chant vessels in the overseas trade
than those paid by British, German
and other shipping men has been one
of the chief arguments advanced fol
And now Mr.. Ford raises the wage
scale. Not a very chubby thing to do
particularly when another movement
for some kind of Government aid to
American merchant shipping is being
agftated.
Mr.. Ford's case, however, is vastly
different from that of the shipping
man who is in the business merely
With his great interests, it matters
very little to Mr.. Ford whether his
ships make money or not. If they
break even, it would be entirely salts
factory so far as his business as a
whole is concerned. The Ford ships
are primarily designed to deliver his
products abroad and to gain further
advertising for those products. They
constitute merely an arm of his enter
prise, but their Importance will lie in
giving prompt and regular service to
that enterprise.
1t is not difficult to see. therefore
that Mr.. Ford might we'll agree to pay
higher wages on his ships than could
be afforded by other private American
shipping companies. 1t will be inter
esting to see how Mr.. Fords shipping
venture pays, say at the end of a year
with all costs of operation and charges
for interest and depreciation counted
in. 1t is reported that he has estab.
lished a minimum wage of 500 a
month on his ships, and that wages in
some instances run 100 per cent higher
than those paid on board the Fleet
Corporation vessels.
As Industrial carriers, ships that
are owned by an industry and
used to transport its products, the
Ford ships also have distinct advan-
tage over those that offer themselves
merely to carry cargoes owned by out
side parties. They are never at a loss
for the outgoing cargo, and by reason
pf hive
countries they have better opportuni-
ties for finding return cargoes. In
deed, they can afford to take return
cargoes at lower rate than their COM
petitors. 1t will be interesting in this
connection to see how Mr. Ford is able
to compete with foreign-fiag vessels
in bringing commercial cargoes to the
United States. If he is able to cut
under the rates charged by the for
eigners, he may cause considerable
stir in the ocean-carrying business.
America has other industrial car.
riers on the seas-fruit, steel and oil.
The industrial carrier offers a real
opening for the development of the
pei llldiellI privately owned overseas
American merchant marine. In the
old days, when American clipper ships
sailed the seven seas and carried a
vast amount of the commerce of the
world, those ships, too, were largely
industrial carriers, though not in the
sense of the term of today. The Ship
pers owned frequently the cargoes
sent to foreign lands. They carried
them for the purpose of barter and
trade. Frequently they traded in kind,
and their returns were far greater
than they would have been had they
merely been recompensed for the
transportation of the goods. The
return, therefore, of the ships carry.
ing their own ventures" is a hopeful
sign for the American merchant
marine.
American genius has lent itself par.
ticularly to quantity production and
service. This has been exemplified
notably in the operations of Henry
Ford. The same principles may be ap
piled with considerable advantage tc
the shipping business.