Evening star., 1934-09-20


electrical gear, the functionlng OF
which calls for the most expert of me-
chanics; they exercise continually at
their guns, the weapons Of extreme
precision requiring special knowledge
of optical instruments and OF explo-
sives. The naval officer is still sea-
man, for We have no more truce with
wind and tide than had John Paul
Jones But the officer Of today must
also have immense knowledge of elec-
tricity, engineering and, as always,
naval tactics. The Marine Corps. Off
GERS and men, are educated in the
manifold duties pertaining to ships at
sea. and are also eXhaustively trained
In the requirements of land warfare.
Every Marine is an artilleryman and
q machine gunner and an infantry
man, no matter what else he does
Our men have far more to do than TO
show themselves on Riverside Drive
In white caps and liberty blues.
Merchant Marine Necessary.
lie VI pCloOAlAlNl AloS
worked a hardship on the service, be-
cause the work at sea must be done,
whether there are many hands or few
to do 1t. And it has been done, with
splendid loyalty. by overworked OFF,
GERS and men, and will continue to
be done.
1 cannot close without reference to
our shipping industry, for the Amerl-
can merchant marine, properly con-
sidered, Is a necessary auxiliary of the
naval service. Experience in past op-
erations demonstrates that the mer-
chant marine, aside from its impor-
tsnce to our economic welfare, is a
vital element in national defense.
II is to the merchant marine that
we must look for transport and supply
in overseas operations, and the mer-
chant marine. in every previous war,
has afforded the reservoir from which
the combat services have been able to
draw officers and men, trained to the
uses of the sea, for its wartime expan-
sion. Furthermore, the merchant
ships, built in private yards, offer en-
ployment through normal times to the
skilled craftsmen following the ship
builders art. an art which, particu-
larly in the lean years since 1922, has
had little or no employment from the
Navy.
We cannot afford. as I see the prob
lem, TO allow the United States mer-
chant marine to go down. Our goods
ought to be carried in American bot
toms, in so far as is consistent with
proper trade balances. and our mer-
chant ships operated by American sea-
men. Our merchant marine has a
great tradition, insepsrable from our
naval tradition. and it is fortunate
that American youth is beginning to
realize its possibilities as a career.
Lessons Of War Forgotten.
Too many of us seem to have for
gotten the lessons of l9l4-l918 When
war broke out the merchant marines
of England, France, Germany and
Belgium we're Immediately involved
and TO a large extent withdrawn from
their normal business of carrying car
goes to and from various parts of the
world Many of the ships of these
nations were converted into transports
and others we're diverted from their
regular trade routes in order to meet
the necessities of supplying their own
and allied countries. Also, large num-
bers of neutral merchant ships were
interned, thus taking them from their
regular runs; indeed, the Dutch and
Scandinavian merchantmen almost
disappeared from the sea.
The result was that much of the
products Of the United States could
not be moved to neutral countries be-
cause there were not enough American
ships available to carry these cargoes.
This was a great blow not only to
American manufacturers but also to
American farmers, who were largely
unable to export their products, and
when they could secure ships, enor-