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DMTAUUI VAT LAALT AAU LLL UVTI UL at 4 UUINTOTIUAUUUL UULLULUUUUUTUUUHU ANVUTOTTTVOA LTTE II ILIUIAIUIAU IUIUIUTUVUVOUUUEEUECUUUIU A WNIT UT INUIT IIIUATVLUI ; | | II HUILI Au il } ( IIIUUTAUUTUTIEEEAUT UU \ | MU VOL. 46 CLEVELAND FEBRUARY, 1916 NEW YORK SSS J The Vou Recently Closed Witnessed the Recrudescence of the American Merchant Marine—The Problem of the Future is to Prevent a Relapse to Former Conditions Y THIS TIME the administration appears to have come to the conclusion that its ill-starred ship purchase bill cannot be jammed through congress without extensive modification; accordingly, the legislative salvage corps is busy with amend- ments and revisions intended to revivify this all but defunct measure. This work will bear watching. So far it appears that the amendments consist, not in essential modifications, but in the addition of riders, which, it is hoped, will lend sufficient strength to get the main proposition through. For instance, it 1s proposed to create a shipping board—a sort of twin brother to the interstate commerce . commission—to watch over the destinies of the American merchant marine and to operate government-owned ships. Of course, there will be plenty of places on the proposed board for cabinet members, all of whom undoubtedly are experts on marine affairs. Expert Political Juggling Now the shipping board proposition per se has merit; the idea has been endorsed by leading ship owners, traffic associations and chambers of com- merce. But a properly constituted board would have its hands full without attempting to direct a govern- ment-owned steamship corporation. Any attempt to tack shipping board legislation onto the government ownership bill brands itself as political jockeying and nothing else. Fortunately, while leaders at Washington are en- meshed in the toils of partisan politics, the American merchant is forging ahead. The unusually complete statistics published in this issue show that 37 large steamships were launched during 1915 by coast and lake yards and that at the close of the year 168 vessels were under construction. This record is unparalleled in American history, and should be a source of gratification to every patriotic citizen. The stars and stripes float over more :onnage than any other ensign, except the union jack. Within the past six months, also, our pitiful showing in-foreign trade 39 has improved mightily and American merchant ships are now familiar sights in all the important harbors of the world. Furthermore, the new years opens with conditions unusually propitious for continued progress toward maritime independence. From the Corn Tassels to the Sea The public is at last alive to the importance of the merchant marine problem and this awakening alone is of tremendous significance. On the coasts, the gravity of the situation has been appreciated for years, but in the interior, where the corn grows high, there has been little understanding of the connection be- tween the American flag on the high seas and a new six-cylinder buzz wagon for Silas Jones. All this is now changed and Iowa wants a merchant marine as badly as Massachusetts. During the past six months the merchant marine question has become truly a national issue. It is realized that ships are needed not only to carry our goods across the seas, but to form an ‘auxiliary to the navy. The immediate future, therefore, is secure. But what of the long look ahead; what of conditions when the war is over and the merchant fleets of all nations again ply the seas unhindered? Here, it cannot be denied, lies cause for apprehension. The ultimate fate of Amer- ican shipping lies in the hands of the government and up to date, it must be confessed, this agency. has shown little disposition to adopt policies favorable to permanent development. aad A Wide Awake Navigator Wanted Washington sees only the needs of the hour .and sets out to remedy a purely temporary shortage in tonnage by means of a wierd experiment in govern- ment ownership. Meanwhile the ultimate*success of the American merchant marine hangs in the balance. The occasion demands a clearly defined, long-run policy; temporary expedients have no place in the situation. The careful navigator looks more than a ship’s length ahead.