Evening star., 1943-09-09
1000 Trading Ships
Needed After War,
Land Says in Forum

Land Says in Forum
The United States will need
merchant shipping feet of Is 1000, 900
to- 10000, 1000 deadweight tons in
postwar years. Rear Admiral EN-
ory S. Land, chairman of the Mari
time Commission and the War
Shipping Administration, said last
night.
Admiral Land spoke in the Ma
tional Radio Forum, arranged by
The Evening Star. and broadcast
from coast to coast over the Blue
Network from Station WMAL.
I'VE should carry an increased
share of our foreign commence, both
exports and imports, in our own
ships" Admiral Land said. That
share will depend on the support
and patronage the people of the
United States give the ships sail
ing under their own flag.
IA VIC sfiC W llicCt our
wide obligations, which will be enor-
mously expanded under the terms
of the Atlantic Charter, we will re-
quire merchant feet of $4,000 900
to 10000, 900 deadweight tons, some
what in excess of 500 to 1000 ships.
Our prewar fleet was about 10, 500 900
deadweight tons"
Admiral Land advocated the Axis
powers be controlled in their post
war merchant shipbuilding. because
a merchant vessel too easily can be
converted to combat or auxiliary
ship and become a menace in the
hands of an aggressor." Japan, he
said, has converted cargo ships into
various types of war craft.
Can Use Present Fleet.
Large-scale American peacetime
shipping operations can be de-
veloped from the existing war-built
merchant fleet, Admiral Land said.
commenting:
War has restored the United
States to strong position as a
maritime nation
The American wartime building
program has cost less per ship than
the World War program, Admiral
Land said. He added:
Today, Liberty ships, which con-
stitute the bulk of our war emer-
gency program, are being built at
cost OF about $3.50 deadweight ton
without special defense equipment,
which costs approximately $40 per
dadweight ton. In the last war
emergency cargo vessel construc-
ton cost an overage of about $2l0
per ton and the ships were not as
large, as efficient or as we'll built as
those we are producing today.
Capacity Up 600 Per Cent.
In 1912 American shipyards-
their capacity more than 600 per
cent of what it was in 1937-pro-
duced about $50 ships aggregating
more than 5000. 900 deadweight tons.
They more than met the production
goal set by the President. That was
an all-time record for any nation.
In the first eight months of l943.
shlpyard workers and management
working in unison, without strikes,
without lockouts and slowdowns.
have produced more than 1000 mer-
chant ships aggregating over l2,00O.-
600 deadweight tons. That means
an average of five ships day so far
this year.
Our goal for l943 is approximate.
ly 100000 deadweight tons. At
the present rate of production we
Will make it. We have not yet at
tanned the peak but we are very close
to 1t. Our production program for
1874 calls for approximately 10000
900 deadweight tons-nearly 1000
ships. We will enter that year with
a flying start. American shipbuild-
ers will continue to stand in the
forefront of the production army.
Cites Recent Report.
To give you an idea of how avail
able tonnage is distributed. the
latest report OF the War Shipping
Administration shows that our dry
cargo vessels were allocated as fol-
lows:
"Forty-two per cent to service of
the United States Army. per cent
to Navy service, "a per cent to lease
lend cargees, II per cent to service
for the civilian population.
"On many of these ships mixed
cargo was carried, but the tonnage
itself was allocated in the ratio
stated. This does not include the
hundreds of ships which the Mari
time Commission has turned over to
the armed forces for their own op-
Grafton as auxiliaries, supply vessels
and transports"
Advocates Civilian Control.
Admiral Land said the peacetime
merchant marine should be free of
Government operation and that
there should be minimum of Gov
eminent control. He said that in
planning shipping operations dur
ing the peace days I'VE should seri-
ously consider engaging in those
free lance operations commonly
known as tramp shipping"
Chairman Land said the United
States Merchant Marine Academy
at Kings Point, NJ Y, would be ded-
icated September 80. It's wartime
III AjhVM,INNl