Evening star., 1927-10-14
FLETCHER URGES
i. S. IN SHIP TRADE
Sees Industry Suffering il
Sufficient Merchant Craft
Are Lacking.

''The only certain way to preserve
our commerce in time of peace and
our country in time of war is for the
Government itself to own and operate
merchant ships in trade" Senator
Duncan L. FlScher of Florida told
members Of the Military Order of the
World War at a luncheon yesterday
in the La Fayette Hotel. Senator
Fletcher is the ranking minority mem
her of the Senate committee on com.
merce.
To maintain the high standard OF
living in this country. he declared, the
Nation must have sufficient ships in
foreign trade. for otherwise American
industries will suffer and general
economic depression will result. Sen
stor Fletcher said that if ships be-
longing To foreign nations were with.
drawn from American commerce sud
denly. the utmost confusion and dam
age TO the whole industrial life of the
Nation would follow.
Blames the Administration.
He recalled the situation in 1914
rs an example. Only Q per cent Of
American foreign bound freight was
then being carried i'm American ships,
he pointed out, So that when war was
declared and Great Britain called in
her large merchant marine the foreign
trade Of the United States was Grip
pied and freight rates jumped to un.
heard-of heights. ,-.--,
Thirty per cent of the countrv's
foreign trade is now being carried in
American bottoms. he said, hut he
pointed out that this figure is steadily
declining and. claimed that it will con-
tinue to decrease under the present
policy. He blamed the administra.
1ion for this condition. and not Con-
Cress. claiming that the administra-
'tion is trying to put the Shipping
Board out of business.
Predicts 1914 Reversion.
When the Shipping Board was
created 1t was planned to have the
merchant fleet ultimately returned to
private hands. he said. but this did
not mean that the ships should be
turned over within a few months or
few years. The Shipping Board has
tried TO sell the boats at nominal
prices. only requiring a guarantee
that the ships be kept in service for
five years. and even so private inter
ests will not take over the fleet, he
declared. Even if they did take over
the merchant fleet, he said, they
could not compete with government
owned vessels of foreign nations.
Pass these ships into private
hands" he predicted, ''and in 1880 we
will be back where we were in 1914"
Branded as shame.
Senator Fletcher concluded by
branding as a shame" the declara ton
that there were no men in the United
States competent to conduct such an
enterprise or honest enough to be
trusted with it.
1t was announced at the meeting
that resolution proposed by the
Washinfton chapter of the order, rec
Ommending that Congress increase the
pensions OF disabled enlisted men, had
POeen passed by the national convention
Hn Baltimore last week. This resolu-
tion is unique in that 1t was passed
by an organization composed entirely
of officers, and is for the benefit sole
ly of enlisted men.
Washintgonians HOnOred.
The meeting was also told that the
following Washingtonians were elected
las national officers Of the order at the
Baltimore convention; Admiral F. T.
iCowie, junior vice commander; Maj.
Gen. Wendell G. Neville. u. s. NJ. c.,
Junior vice commander: Lieut.. Col.
* hodidS d. DlChooIi' tAidplohi 6Chcs al,
Maj. William l.: SymonS, judge advo-
cate general. and Maj. Ennals Wagga-
man, to the general staff.
The local nomination committee an
nounced selections for the coming wear
for the Washington chapter, and the
proposed candidates We're unanimously
elected. They were: Admiral, Cowie.
commander; Maj. Gen. Greed, G. Ham
n1ond, senior vice commander: Capt.
Edwin s. Bettelheim. jr., adjutant;
Lieut.. Comdr. Lewis P. Clephane, his
torian, and Lieut.. Col. Robert P. Par
rott, judge advocate.