The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-10-13
Observations
Cargo Ships to
be Needed For
Pacific Drive
BY Helen Essary

Despite the smashing progress OF
American forces in the Pacific, mill
tary and naval leaders are greatly
concerned about the lack OF ship
ping TO handle the supplies and
men needed for the big show in the
Far East
Even tho collapse OF Germany
will not eatly relieve the ship
ping shortage Immediately. 1t will
take time to shift men and ma
terials over the vast distances.
Rear .4dm. Carleton H, Wright,
commandant Of the .'welfth Naval
District. on the Pacific Coast put
his finger on the problem recently
when he pointed out that at present
about 200 shir7 are operating, and
that actually 600 will be needed
as the communicate . lines length
en-.
Reducing the problem to simple
terms, Wright explained that ac'
tually 500 ships are needed 10 keep
200 going all the time, 200 going
all the time, 200 westbound. zoo
eastbound and 200 loading or dis
charging cargo.
Another big problem is the lack
OF port facilities on the Pacihc
Coast 10 handle the amount of
shipping. Most OF the big ports are
on the East Coast, and loading
them on the Atlantic means long
haul either through the Panama
canal or through the Mediterran-
can and the Suez Canal,
However, a big step-up in opera
tons is expected in the Pacific
within a few months after the col
lapse of German resistance.
JUST HOW EFFECTIVE the
State Departments suspension OF
American shipping TO Argentina
will be remains to be seen. AL
though on Oct. ! all United States
ships were to cease calling for
goods at Argentine ports, that coun-
try's products still can be hauled
in other bottoms.
The hides, mica, fiaXseed, lungs.
ten, linseed oil, corn, etc, which
we import from Argentina still can
be hauled by Spanish, Swedish,
Brazilian, Portuguese, Peruvian,
Argentine and. for the time being,
at least, British ships.
II was learned by the State De-
partment that United States trad
ers have ordered TO- million bush.
els OF corn to be delivered from
Argentina this year.
Argentine embassy sources main
tain that Argentina has a grow
ing private shipping industry which.
they claim. can sustain United
States-Argentine II de almost up
10 normal.
OMAR B. KETCHUM, legislative
oficer OF the Veterans OF Foreign
Wars, foresees restlessness far ex-
ceeding that of World War | vet
Grams when men now travelling far.
wide and handsomely-and dang
erously-try to settle down 10 rou-
tine jobs.
The older vets can recall their
first several years out OF uniform.
They changed jobs in many cases
just to be on the move. This time,
because the movement of men has
been farther, faster and oftener.
that effect will be greater, Ketchum
predicts.
And complicating II will be fin-
ancial angle that did not figure i'm
portantly after World War I.
Thousands Of youths in their early
EOS are holding posts today be-
yond what most of them can and
readily, II at all. in civilian life.
Ketchum cited the case OF his
own son. Before the war, he said,
the youth had Job cutting meat.
Now he's an Air Force officer, in
charge of a crew Of nine men and
responsible for a bomber worth
tens OF thousands OF dollars. Thou
sands of others like him aren't
going to be happy going back 10
being ribbon clerks, Ketchum de-
clares.