Evening star., 1934-08-12
NJ PAUL. JARRETT KELLY.

only a few dayY. or years.
~ ago that circus was wheel
ing o'Ie around on a truck
But did yca ever hear Of a white
ses elephant? Ho7 You will. Just
listen.
One of these pleasant evenings in
the near future. A. you are perusIng
your copy Of The Evening Star you'll
read OF several OF them.
The piece In the paper win be all
about the maiden trips Of the newest
ocean super-super- liners, the already
famed Normandie OF France and the
monster Cunarder Of Britain. as yet
only known as ''the 534"
They'll be the biggest. longest.
greatest, largest. costliest most luxu
rious ships In the world. And II past
experiences and the rather gloomy
forebodings Of foreign ship owners
hold true. they seemingly stand very
good chance Of also being the biggest,
longest, costliest and most luxurious
headaches In the world
When these two vessels make their
maiden trips, folks, they viii have
Joined two others In the same pachy-
dern1ic claSs-the Italian liner Rex
and the o. s. 8. Leviathan--a quartet
OF monsters unriyaled In marine his
tory.
Yet in these four one finds good
cause for pause and contemplation.
In these four, perhaps, lies a steady
annual drain OF millions OF dollars
from the pockets of taxpayers of four
nations. In these four is actual. vital,
visual evidence Of what happens when
nations try TO keep up with the
Joneses.
New Policy Probable.
And at period when our own
question OF subsidies to American
shipping has reached such serious
proportions as to call forth an exec
utive order from President Roosevelt
requesting new and additional in
vestigation of the subject (there are
three other inquiries already under
way, and with Congress certain TO
consider and probably pass new leg
islative marine program In the next
session, IL is apparent that in these
four ships must lie a solution of at
least one OF the many problems con-
fronting this same American mer-
chant marine-our future policy con-
cerning the subsidization, conStruc-
ton and operation of super-liners.
II hasn't been so long ago, you
know, that our shipping tycoons were
gloating over the Leviathan as THE
Greatest Ship in the World!" and
pointing with pride to our American
ownership and operation.
She was--then. Way back when
and almost up to now. She even JUS
tined their claims that she held an
Importance Commensurate With
What She Represents in Keenest Ri
valry IN That Limited Area OF the
Seven Seas (time out for air. Where
the Greatest Of Nations Contend for
World Prifnacy!"
But not any more. We're not going
to be primate now--hardly second
rate, in fact. All three of the new
comers--and especially the two yet
to come--are said to outrsnk us In size
or speed or luxury--everythin that
n super-express-l liner is supposed to
outrank the other fellow In.
So what TO do? Shall we take a
back seat in the North Atlantic
scramble for first-claSs passenger
trade--or shall we keep UP with the
Joneses?
Facts and Figures.
Before we decide, let's look at few
facts--and figures--as they have been
developed recently in public hearings,
or by Government experts, or by sta
tistical reports or other sources OF
information
First, History: The Germans started
It, Way back in the pre-19l4 days
they had a botto: Deutschland Ueber
Alles!" In the race for a bigger and
better army and armament they led
They were well into the forefront of
the race for naval supremacy. And
so 1t was but natural, perhaps, that
they also desired leadership on the
trade routes Of the seas-a desire
which even today is still rampant.
as witness the Europa and the
Bremen.
They already had great merchant
liners traversing those seas--as great
as those of their traditional rival
Britain. But they wanted the biggest,
the best, the superlative. So German
architects and engineers. answering
the call, designed a monster of sea
monsters-the Vateriand.
1t was in the Spring of 1918. to
the gutteral roar of a million specta-
tors, that the Vaterland. greatest of
them all, slid malestically down the
ways. And, year later, May, 1914,
she proudly sailed from Germany and
rs proudly slipped under the welcom-
ing torch Of the Statue OF Liberty in
New York Harbor.
Sixty days later came the harbinger
OF disaster-the World War. The
Vaterland was interned: for years
laid at dock in Hoboken. When
America entered the war she was
conhscated. renamed the Leviathan,
turned into troop transport, broke
all records for that type Of duty and
with the war ended and the troops
back home, returned to her moorings,
bit weary and rusty and sadly need
lnS paint.
shipping Board Acts.
There she lay for months--until
enc day the United States Shipping
Board took q hand. And troubles
began.
The then directors Of the Shipping
Board decided TO recondition her and
return her to the North Atlantic pas
senger trade as the flagship Of our
governmentally- owned merchant ma
rine.
That recOnditionine, much publi-
eiSed at maximum figure of SIS .s00,-
600, cost. instead, So. .56S .S6l 20. But
afterward. equipped in silks and
satins and shining paints and silver
ware, with the red, white and blue
stripes around her tunnels and the
fag proudly streaming to the breeze
at her bow, she took to the seas.
In the first year OF her American
operation. the records show tand
which ended June 80, 1929. she made
Is voyages TO Europe and back. Her
net loss for the year Was $6276sl IS.
The following year she lost SIS. .27S 2e
and the next $S2. .e3l so.
But In the next twelve month. end