Evening star., 1925-07-05
FUTURE OF L. S. FLEET
HANGS In THE BALANCE
Time Drawing Near When American
People Must Decide Upon Permanent
Merchant Marine Policy.

feet naval reSerViStS. Organized labor
does not take to this proposal, fearing
Government control OF the seamen
thereby
The United States Chamber of Com
merce has announced itself in favor
/ Of Government aid to merchant ship
| ping so as to put the fleet permanently
| into private operation.
Admiral Palmer, president of the
| Fleet Corporation, to which the opera
| ton of the fleet has been turned over
by the Shipping Board at the direc-
ton of the President, in an address
recently delivered in Seattle, declared
that the program should include IAN
aggressive and well thought-out plan
to transfer the Government fleet to
private ownership on terms that pro-
tect the Government interests and at
the same time give the buyer an OPP
portunity for profit that will insure
his continuance indefinitely in the
trade"
He did not attempt to specify the
form of Government aid that should
be given. leaving that to Congress
and the President. The president of
the Fleet Corporation is giving his at
tention to the efficient operation of
the fleet. But he has made clear the
situation so that those charged with
the duty of formulating the govern
may act with a full knowledge of
the facts.
Value of Merchant Marine.
The value of a permanent Ameri-
can merchant marine to American
merchant marine to American COM
merce is becoming more and more
clear to American business and Ameri-
can producers, as the years go by.
1t provides surer and more adequate
service; it gives the Americans some
chance to say what rates shall be for
carrying goods overseas.
Whether Government aid to ship
ping would have to be a permanent
establishment time only could tell.
The more firmly American shipping
becomes established, however, the less
it should need assistance from the
Government. The great possibilities
found in the industrial carrier, which
transports to foreign countries the
products of American concerns, the
concerns which own the ships, and
brings back to these concerns raw
materials, are becoming more and
more recognized. One of the greatest
things that could happen for private
American shipping would be for
American manufacturing concerns to
invest their money in ships. In a
measure, the owners of the ships
would then be the owners of the basic
cargoes which the ships would carry
overseas. The money made in the
trading ventures would more than off
set, in most cases, any losses which
the ships. as delivery wagons, might
entail The advertisement to the
American concerns derived from ship |
ping in their own vessels would be no4
small item. Why should not a COM |
nj af Il
business abroad. shipping out of the !
same port, not become the owners OF
ship lines to handle their goods and |
bring back raw materials or CONNER
cial cargo? There are infinite possi- |
biliues in such program.
Where Politics Enters In.
Probably political expediency will |
largely determine whether or not the |
the subject of Government aid to
merchant shipping. If sentiment in IA
vor of such aid crystallizes sufficiently
there will undoubtedly be a move for |
legislation. But if the country is |
lukewarm, or the members of Con-
gress believe it to be lukewarm, then !
nothing will be done. 1t is a fact |
however, that many people in the |
South and the West who looked
askance on Government aid to ship |
ping are inclined now to study the ,
matter more thoroughly.
The interest of the American pro-
ducer in the establishment of a per
manent privately owned and operated
merchant marine was forcibly ex-
pressed by a representative of big
wheat and flour interests at the
national foreign trade convention in |
Seattle, Wash. When the producers
of the country, both Industrial and
agricultural, become fully alive to the |
desirability of such a merchant ma
rine the battle will be won.