The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-07-08
OUR MERCHANT MARINE
Tampa Tribune)

How would you like to pay insurance
on a house that has burned down, or on
a policy that is worthless?
Worse still, how would you like to pay
100 millions or more in interest every year
on bill of goods which you can no longer
use because your requirements have rem
dered the merchandise obsolete?
Sentiments closely akin to the above
rise upon reading an astounding little book,
issued by the Middle West Foreign Trade
Committee through it's chairman, Malcolm
M. Stewart of Cincinnati.
The little volume of So small pages
entitled Our Nays greatest need" hits
one with something of shock by disclosing
that far from having learned the lesson of
the last World War, America is actually
following an opposite course by neglecting
its merchant marine, the only fighting
auxiliary in time of national danger.
Shockingly blunt in it's revelations of
the real cost of part of the war that the
general public had little chance to study
during the conflict the book states that we
are again neglecting our auxiliary defense
the American merchant marine-and
again inviting the senseless waste of wealth
in the scramble to build "ships, ships, and
more Ships bridges of ships" when the
emergency arrives.
Mr.. Stewart minces no words, for he is
realist if nothing else, and jolts the COM
placent reader of the little book with his
cold statistics-facts that are keeping
many an American taxpayer up late at
night these days in hope of finding a way to
make red ink look blue on the ledgers.
AS result of our policy on marine un-
preparedness, the statement shows, the
World War cost the United States govern
ment for the use of merchant vessels reach
ed an aggregate of more than billion and
half dollars. After the war the yes
sells were found unsuited to commerce and
a whole new fleet had to replace them
With danger again threatening the peace
of nations, Mr.. Stewart shows that we are
foolishly depending upon the good will
of the world, again neglecting our mer-
chant fleet.
In addition to the one and one-half
billion dollars cited, there was a further
expenditure of $2,134 100000 by the ship
ping board for the construction of vessels
authorized for war purposes but not used
in the war! The total cost to the United
States for merchant shipping, as result of
the late conflict, therefore, was more than
So, $50, 100000.
Of high speed vessels to furnish navy
fighters with supplies, or that, because of
their speed can themselves be converted
into fighting ships, Great Britain has five
times as many as the United States, the
statement asserts.
Of Americas Ia vessels of this class,
five are more than 20 years old
1t is found further that the United
States merchant marine is outclassed not
only by Great Britain, but by Norway,
Germany and Holland; that the British
colonies stand equal with us in the volume
of such tonnage, and that France, Italy and
Janah are not far behind u.s. Great Brit
aims total of merchant vessels less than 10
years old is more than eight millions gross
tons, as against our slightly more than one
million tons.
Hand in hand with the navy's need for
merchant ships for use as auxiliaries, it is
stated, goes its need for the maintenance
of privately operated American shipyards
for the construction of the necessary yes
sells. 1t is not generally realized; says
the statement, what factor of relief the
shipyards are in the unemployment sit
uation. Not only does the money spent
for vessels go to the labor employed in their
construction but materials and equipment
required, give work to industries in prac-
tically every state in the Union.
man must either initiate the vie
ious or hate them.-Montaigne