Evening star., 1940-01-14
D. 5. Ships Reported
Carrying Their Share
OF World Cargoes
Official Says Situation
Is Due to Increased
Activity on Pacific
By the Associat-s Press.

BS the Associat Press.
The American merchant marine
mot only touched but bumped" by
the neutrality law-temporarily is
holding it's share of the worlds
cargoes despite Europe's war, an
official of the Maritime Commission
declared yesterday.
Although American ships were
banned from the ports of fighting
nations this official estimated that
American vessels are carrying about
as much freight as ever in the ocean
trade routes.
Increased activity on the Pacific
routes, he said, probably accounted
for this situation, although current
figures were not available in the
commission Offices.
Most of the 86 ships whose regular
sailings across the Atlantic were
bumped" by the combat zone"
restriction laid out by President
Roosevelt, he said, are running now.
Other Lines Reroute Ships.
The United States Lines. how
ever, recently sold eight of its ships
to Norwegian company in which it
has part interest.
Experimentally, other lines have
sought to solve their problem by re-
routing ships. The American Scan
tic Line, which operated between
New York and the Baltic, found
entry into that Northern Sea closed
when war broke out. Now it is try
ing a line running in at Bergen, on
the west coast of Norway-just out
side the combat zone"
Two ships of the American Export
Lines are trying out service between
New York and -belligerent ports
on the Mediterranean Shipping
between North and South America
has increased somewhat, the official
said, and some ships have been
diverted from the east-west journey
to the north-south routes.
The fact that the cargo carried
by American ships is about as heavy
as before the war does not neces-
sarily mean that the same number of
American ships are profltably in
service, experts said. On some
routes, ships are carrying heavier
loads than before the war.
And officials of the National Mari
time Union declared that the sailor
finds less chance for a Job these
days.
Pinch on Pocketbook.
Unemployment among seamen, he
explained, is spread through the
whole corps of ocean workers. In
stead OF group of workers being
laid off for keeps-as happens when
factories close-each seaman finds
the wait between ships longer-and
the pinch on his pocketbook worse.
Shipping experts seem agreed that
the effect of the neutrality laws
ban on American boats in the trans
Atlantic service has not been as
serious as was expected when the
act was passed.
This may be explained partly by
statistics compiled by G. Griffith
johnson, jr., of the Commerce De-
partment, which show that only
per cent of Americas ocean-going
tonnage was engaged in trade with
ports in Europe and the Mediter-
ranean. Many Mediterranean ports,
of course. are still open.
When the President stopped Amer
lean ships from visiting ports of
warning nations, Federal agencies
prepared to take care of stranded
seamen. The w. P. A. set aside
5000 berths on its relief projects
and the Maritime Commission Of
fered to take 100 licensed officers and
1000 unlicensed men into its train
ing school.
Relief Demand Overestimated.
Coast Guard officers, in charge of
the maritime school, said a crew
is keeping the steam UP at Gallops
Island, Mass, and we've got the
cooks there ready" But there
haven't been enough seamen to war
rant using the post. The 10O-odd
seamen who have entered the school
so far have been sent to the regu-
lar quarters in New York.
Likewise, the w. P. A. set aside
5000 jobs for seamen in New York
City and other jobs in half a dozen
coastal cities. but found the de-
mand for relief among seamen far
less than expected.
Union officials declare, however,
these figures are no indication Of
the real need among seamen. One
estimated that between $500 and
$500 men were unemployed as a
result of the neutrality law.