The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-07-21
By s. BURTON HEATH NEA Stan Correspondent

NEA Stan Correspondent
 New York. July 2i-When Ameri- can shipping men look into the post war future with pride and hope fulness. 1t is of the cargo trade that they are thinking--not the paSseii- ger. So far as the latter is con. cerned, the British will be in posi- tion to dominate the seas as they always have. unless we pull some smart rabbits out of our maritime hat.
 We shall be top dog in both quantity and quality of cargo craft. In passenger liners we shall emerge from this war as far behind the eight ball as we went in.
 A couple of obscure observers at the American Merchant Marine Institute recalled, offhand. loss of the Presidents Coolidge, Harding, Harrison and Grant. the Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Sante Ele. ma, Santa Lucia, and at least two Export liners.
 What does that leaveP Presum- ably the President Lines nine new ships built in l940-42 but never used in civilian trade: the three Africans Sonnet. Meteor and Planet never used before the Government grabbed them; Moore MccOFmack's Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay; Matson's Lurline, Maricosa and Monterey.
 The America, the Manhattan anu the Washington, best-known American transatlantic and cruise ships, still are afloat, but they have been written off for civilian passenger use.
 The old George Washington and America, ie06-model 0erman-built liners taken over after World War I, have been completely modernized and streamlined by the Army as transports, but nobody thinks they could pay their way in competition with what the British. the French. the Swedes or the Dutch will have Co offer.
 The British have lost a lot of good liners. Among them were the Empress of Britain and Cam ada. the Athenia, BTlttanic. cale- donia, Carinthia, Andora Star and Dark Star, Georgia. Niagara and Transylvania.
 IMPOSING LIST or LINERS
 But they still have Q mighty imposing list Of liners with bet. ter known names than the best We can offer: the e2.O00- ton lux- ury liner Queen Elizabeth. the al,- 000-ton de luxe Queen Mary, the t6O00-ton Aquitania, the 3aO00- ton new ManTetania, the new 2a,000-ton Capetown Castle, the Empress of Scotland inee Empress of Japanl and the Empress of Australia, the Dominion Mark, FTanc0nia, AoTangi, Queen of Bermuda, AstuTias. and the putehesses of Athol. Bedford, Richmond and York
 Right here, if there were no further complications, is enough for our shipping men to worry about, But there Is another glm- mick, Our Army completely Te- converted our liners tor trans port use, tearing them up almost to the hull and Feflttlng their ln- terlors' It will take at least Q year to put the first American liner back Into the passenger business,
 The British on tsh contrary, old . minimum of interior chang- mg, t is estimated that at least one Of the two queens can be plying regularly between New York and Southampton within three months after the cnnaTd line gets them back.
 INTENSIVE COMPETITION
 There WI also be intensive competition from such other nalns liners as the French Ille de France PaklenF and de GgasseI the Dntel New AmsleEdamI the Norwegian BeTeensfj0Tdi the Swedish Grips holm and DFpltlngh0lm and per- haps the st0ekhnlm, never yet de bVeFed by its Italian builders, 4 so the German Berlin, Milwaukee Rt, Louis and P0lSdaB-undap som other flag, peFhRns-may he ln lAl race,
 And finally there Is dread q alF transport, Huge, fast, com feriable, safe aiE liners could hl flying from New v0Fk 70 the cap itals al the world very anlekll after peace returns UnannbledlI they wlll,
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