Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-09
NEWU. s. MERCHANT
SHIP LEAD SOUGHT
War Time Tonnage, Greatest
In Worlds History, Nearly
Gone.

Americas stupendous wartime mer-
6hant feet, which cost the neat sum OF
$500, o00, 900, n in the final stages Of
liquidation, but at q price that barely
reaches 10 per cent of Uncle Sans
original investment.
OF the $500 vessels, aggregating more
than 100000 tons, slapped together,
Communicated CIR bought when the
United States was thrust into the inter-
national strife in 1917, fewer than 500
are left Many have been sold, others
burned, still others rotted at the docks.
BUT the pick of this grotesque wartime
aeet, which carried food and supplies
10 France and 10 men-of-war on the
seas, today flies the American flag as
the nucleus of Americas modern mer-
Nhant marine.
Worlds Largest Merchant Fleet.
It has been the Job of the Shipping
Board since 1920 to transfer from the
Governments hands this fieet-the
largest aggregation of merchant ton
mage, pondescript though it was, which
ever sailed the seas for single nation.
But In doing it the board has guaran-
teed the establishment of permanent
American merchant marine, to retrieve
this country's lost prestige on the seas.
1t was q big price to pay, but with the
aid of legislation the board virtually
has accomplished its thankless task.
Since 1920 the board has sold more
than 800 Of the ships, aggregating in
excess of 100000 tons, for something
like $3.50 900 900. Not all are in opera
ton, however, for some were sold for
what they would bring as junk, while
great fleets of wooden ships, unsea-
worthy and weighted down with bar
nacles, were consigned by flames to the
marine graveyard.
Hardly q week passes now that the
board does not sell few of the remain
ing ships in lay-up, and now and then
1t Is diSpoSing of an operating service.
It will not be many months before the
Government Is out OF the ship-operat-
ing business altogether, according to
board oficials.
In the past decade 38 lines, plying 10
all quarters of the globe, were estab-
lshed by the board, carrying freight
and passengers in American bottoms
Twenty Of them have been sold to pri-
vate operators, and OF the remaining
1S. are on the auction block. OF the
500 vessels left on the Governments
hands, 220 are operating on these Is
lines.
Before Americas entry into the World
WARM September, 1el6--the Ship
ping Board was created, oStensibly as q
peace time agency. But the dark clouds
then were lowering, and 1t was only q
matter of weeks before the unprece-
denied stipbuilding operations began.
IN April Of the following year war was
declared, and the cry for ships and
more ships had to be answered.
First Liberty Lean FlOated.
a.
OF the proceeds, 81 ,000, 900 went for the
construction of new ships and 81 ,000,-
900 for the purchase Of private con-
gtruction contracts, chartering and pur-
ekase Of other American tonnage. There
was an expenditure Of $500, 900 900 for
plants and facilities, which saw fair
sized cities crop into being In the vicin-
1ty OF new established shipyards.
Hog Island. near Philadelphia, was
built ct . cost Of SIS ,oOO, 900 alone. 1t
did not turn out its first ship until
August, 1918, or three months before
the armistace. Fifty &hipyards were
embraced In this colossus of ship plants,
and In all 122 steel ships were built
there, all of them In active operation
today. The property now idle IL still
owned by the Government.
The wartime ship construction pro-
gram, however, continued until 1922
During the war and immediately after
the shortage of world tonnage kept
Ocean-carrytng rates sky high. 50 many
merchantmen were sunk during the
hoStilities that there was pressing de-
nand for tonnage to take American
goods to the starving nations of Europe.
But 1920 international shipping be-
came demora1ized when ocean rates
went back to peace-time levels and
Uncle Sans emergency feet went
''blooey." From 1917 to 1920 the Gov
ernment realized profit Of some $685.
0O0, 900 In its operations. and then, when
the bottom dropped out of the interna-
donal chipping, and the rehabilitated
nations Of Europe had built new ton
mage surprising anything Uncle Sam
had to offer, America began to lose and
has lost ever since.
In 1920 Congress enacted the mer-
chant marine act, providing for a pri-
vately owned American merchant ma
zine TO be created from the phantom
wartime fleet. A new shipping board
took over the fleet. Ships, in some
eases, were practically given away, but
assurances Of operation over particular
Toutes under the American nag were re-
ceived and Congress was satisfied
But still the Nation Jagged in the
operation In the f1ercely competitive
routes 70 Europe. In 1928, the Jones'
White bill was enacted 1t provided
SIN 1UUS~CGTIu ocean mali contracts 70
American lines which built new ton
mage. And it provided that three
&Ourths of the cost of constructing new
tonnage would be loaned from a $3.50
100000 construction fund to American
operators at the Governments lowest
interest rate.
Banner Service Line Sold.
chip building activities accelerated |
Immediately. Established lines were |
sold and even the banner service of the |
Government merchant marine, the |
United States Lines, passed into private |
hands, including the American queen |
Of the seas. the Leviathan. The entire |
line brought little more than $4,000
o00-far less than the original cost OF !
the Leviathan-but 1t meant a large
stride toward q private merchant ma
zine as decreed by Congress.
SO the turn of a decade finds the
wartime fleet of wooden, steel, and
even concrete ships, practically out of
Uncle Sans hands. From the storms
Of the cream Of these craft, the Stars
and Stripes are whipping in the bree. !,
she nucleus of q projected American
merchant marine which seeks the SUI
premacy formerly held by Uncle Sam
with his Yankee Clippers" in the sos.
Copyright, ls30.)