Evening star., 1935-03-07
us. SHIP PROGRAM
HELD ESSENTIAL
Present Weakness of De.
tense Shown in Report OF
Presidents Aides.
BY CRESTON B. MULLINS.

Weakness of the national defense
and consequent exposure of the
United States to attack, particularly
from the sea, as the result Of an in
adequate merchant fleet to supple
ment the Navy in wartime was en-
phasized in two reports accompanying
President Roosevelt's shipping mes
sage to Congress.
The message carried with it the
findings of the Interdepartmental
Committee on Shipping Policy, head
ed by South Trimble, jr.. and OF Post
master General Farley in the recent
post Office investigation of ocean mail
contracts.
Both agree on the need for a
stronger merchant marine and pro-
pose that this be accomplished by
readjustment of the system of gov
ernmental financial aid to spur pri-
vate ship construction and replace
ment of present vessels to provide the
Navy with an adequate complement
of naval auxiliary vessels, essential TO
maintaining the fleet in wartime.
The principal point of attack in
both reports was the failure of gov
ernmental loans for ship construction
to encourage steady program Of re-
placement. necessary to keep mer-
chant feet modern for warfare and
able to compete in international trade.
Farley cited this failure of American
ship operators to replace their ships
while receiving subsidy payments,
which he termed excessive.
Need Cargo Ships.
He quoted Admiral George A. Rock,
former chief constructor of the Bureau
of Construction and Repair of the
Navy, to the effect that I'VE need
iarge numbers of cargo ships of from
IA to 18 knots. = We need large
number of high-speed tankers.
We do not have our own supply OF
cargo ships, only very few very
old ships. = We depend on the
merchant marine for taking such ships
over in line of war We must have
large numbers of dependable cargo
ships which can be depended upon
to carry supplies to the ships at the
time when it is vital that they should
have those carriers. I feel that cur
cargo ships must be reasonably near
the fleet speed" In regard to the
present 10-knot ships that comprise
most of the merchant fleet, Admiral
Rock said, They would be woefuly
deficient, they are Woefully deficient.
Secretary of the Navy Swanson was
authority for the statement that "the
United States merchant marine does
not include sufficient number OF
relatively new, fast vessels to make
improbable having to use old, slow
vessels such as these in the event OF
O grave national emergency"
That Approximately two-thirds OF
the commercial tonnage now under
the American flag would be required
by the Navy in support of wartime
operations" was the belief of Secre-
tary of War Derr.
Low Speed, Great Age.
Deficiency of American ships fol
defense arises out of their low average
speed and great average age, as well
as a lack of numbers. OF the 37.400,.
600 tons of vessels engaged in actual
competitive international trade, Great
Britain has 14119,000, the United
States. 3084.0OO; Japan. 3,049,000;
Germany, 1882: France, 2,571; Italy,
2,264,O00 and all others, 9,481O00. In
speeds of vessels the United States is
in a deplorable position, ranking fifth
in tonnage of ships with speeds of u
knots and upwards. We are out
ranked by Great Britain, Germany,
France and Japan, in order. The
picture is complete with the considera-
tion of age, in which the United
States ranks eighth in tonnage of
vessels 10 years of age and under.
Here we are outranked by Great
Britain, Germany, Italy, Norway,
Netherlands, Japan and France. The
significance is that the United States