Evening star., 1927-10-16
By REX COLLIER.


A COUPLE of weeks ago the
| u publicity to the launching at
4 \ Newport News of a magnificent
20.000.ton passenger vessel, car
| rying the American flag.
Just as with the man who bites a
| dog, here was news event of no
| mean importa nee. for when America
| launches an American-built ship un-
! der American colors in an American
| shipyard. the world has cause to sit
up and take notice.
Such things do not happen every
| day in this country.
| 1t might be of interest, therefore, 20
| reflect that while American maritime
interests, properly enough, were crow
ing over the Newport News achieve
| ment, statistics would seem to indi-
cate that ships were sliding down the
ways right and left in Europe. with
out much attention being paid the fact
| by the foreign press, or ours.
European Press Apathetic.
To be more figurative, for every
| merchant vessel that American ship
builders dedicate with so much furore,
Great Britain launches some forty-odd
competitive craft, Germany launches
1 d II
| and Italy and Japan launch four each.
| The big splash caused by the slip
ping into service of all these new for
| eign vessels, many of which are in
| tended to compete with ships flying
| the American flag, causes scarcely q
| ripple in the European press. Yet the
| christening of one American ship is
featured with columns of reading mat
ter and pictures.
To say that the foreign activity
does not cause a ripple on the surface
| Of Americas apparently apathetic
maritime tranquility is not in ac-
cordance with the facts.
Americas naval and merchant ma
rine authorities are greatly concerned
| over it, and if what they say is true.
| every American farmer. every mer-
chant. every consumer-in fact, every
| American citizen interested in his own
and his country's welfare-should be
concerned about it.
Market for Wheat.
The farmer is interested at least to
the extent of finding a market for
wheat. Every fourth bushel he pro.
duces goes to European marts of trade,
and he cannot hope to get it there un.
less ships are available. and at reason
|
and ready to furnish the necessary
transportation. but since they meet
but little opposition from American
shipping quarters it is not unreason'
able to expect them at times to be
| somewhat arbitrary regarding rates.
Commissioner William s. Hill of the
United States Shipping Board has just
issued an urgent appea4 to the Ameri
can farmer to support the merchant
marine.
Few men who plow and reap on
the farms of the United States realize
how ocean shipping influences the
labors," he says.
'It is largely the foreign demand
that makes the price in the worlds
markets. For the past two years the
United States wheat surplus available
for export has been, each year. over
two hundred and fifty millions OF
bushels. The indications are that this
year will see still greater surplus
Upon the satisfactory disposal of this
surplus largely rests the amount o.
money the farmer receives for hi!
crop. Here is where the farmer be
comes vitality interested in the activi
ties of ocean transportation and al
American merchant marine.
Important TO RalSers.
More than one-sixth of the tota
products raised on American farms Il
sold in foreign markets and practi
cally, one-half of all the wheat which
reaches the market goes to foreign
customers. Whether this enormou!
amount of shipments of farm produc.
is handled by American ships, friendly
and ready to aid, is of ~~eat impor
tance to raisers of produce, and tht
maintenance of reasonable freigh
rates is equally important"
Mr.. Hill declares tha' IT,, natior
that owns the ships is the master o
the markets it's trade seeks. The ma
ton that is compelled to use the ships
of a competing nation subjects itsel
20 the dictates of that nation.
Shipping experts declare that if tn
present trend continues, the American
flag will disappear from the sea-
} within 16 years.
Only day or SO following the in
teresting dispatches from Newpor
News came significant message from
Philadelphia telling of the passing o
one Of Americas oldest shipyards-
Cramps. Founded nearly a centur.