Evening star., 1943-06-08
j. !. Merchant Fleet
OF Record Size Seen
By Land After War
Declares 1t Should Have
Peocetime Strength of
Over IS Million Tons
BY the Associated Press.

| pS me ASSOClateQ PreSS.
BALTIMORE, June 8.-Rear Ad-
miral Emory E. Land last night Wis
ualized record breaking peacetime
merchant fleet of 100000 to 20
100000 tons under the American
flag after the war.
The Maritime Commission chair
man. laying down the most concrete
program of postwar shipping policy
yet advanced by a Government off,
cial, advocated reversal of former
commission policy by adoption of
tramp shipping as a definite part of
/ the maritime economy after the
war
Tramp shipping, heretofore
| froWned on by the commission as
uneconomic, is shipping which fol-
! lows no definite routes or schedules
but goes when and where cargo may
| be found.
The admiral spoke at a dinner
| given by the Maryland Historical
! Society in observance of maritime
/ day.
/ Program Outlined.
Other suggestions Admiral Land S
program embraced were Private
ownership, private operation and
private construction; shipment of
"a liberal percentage of our overseas
traffic in American bottoms; es-
! tablishment Of proper routes, lines
and services with a minimum of
American competition, as foreign
flags will furnish all possible COM
petition necessary" and mainte-
nance for the duration of the COM
missions present policy of holding
! title to new ships.
Chairman Bailey of the Senate
! Commerce Committee told the din
ner gathering that construction this
year of 20,000,000 tons of cargo ships
was miraculous achievement
without precedent in all
the history of the world"
Credit for the record breaking
program was given to Admiral Land
whom Senator Bailey described as
"a first-class example of the type
| va AAto-i ooi llCcOS III
the head of each of its war activi-
ties
postwar maritime Cbjectives. Ad-
miral Land assured his audience
are not being overlooked because
of the eXigencies of war.
I'VE are not losing sight of the
objective manifestly set up in the
Merchant Marine Act of 1886 which
gives to the Maritime Commission
the duty of proper rehabilitation of
the merchant marine. The COM
mission has new economic survey
we'll under way. We have a tenta-
tive program in formulation and a
skeleton organization in being"
Entitled to Tonnage.
In order to plan properly for the
after-the-War period, consideration
must be given to the probable fleet
under American flag that will be in
existence at the end of the war"
he said. I'VE should definitely ear
mark for United States commerce,
under the United States flag, a
modern fleet of $4,000, 900 to 20 OO0.-
GOO deadWeight tons As a nation
of 1875, 100000 people we are entitled
to that tonnage. AS the greatest
shipbuilding nation in the world we
are entitled to have it as modern
and up to date as the exigencies of
the war permit"
Admiral Land said in order to
give reasonable consideration to the
overall shipping industry of the
United States, I'VE should so set our
sights as to hold this feet Of about
10000 900 deadweight tons. And in
addition. even though not neces-
sary for world-economic point of
view, 1t is very desirable that we lay
out our plans so that our best ship
yards properly distributed through
out the United States should be able
to proceed with a nucleus Of con-
struction Of new ships even though
we may build up a reserve"