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New French Line Motorship Lafayette. Speed 18 Knots—22,000 Gross Tons,—Lenth 600 Feet, Beam 77 1-2 Feet, Draft 30 1-2 Feet Passengers, 591 Cabin, 334 Tourist, 142 Third Class—Sailed Havre May 17—Arrived New York May 26 hird Merchant Marine Conference ~ Unites American Interests By Lynne M. Lamm Washington Correspondent for Marine Review EARLY 300 representatives of various branches of the shipping industry of the United States attended the third national conference on the merchant marine held at the chamber of commerce of the United States, Washington, on April 23 and 24. The conference, declared to have been the most successful yet held, was called on behalf of the United States ship- ping board by T. V. O’Connor, chairman who made an address of welcome and outlined the prog- ress of the government’s activities relating to shipping since the close of the war period. The chairman’s address was published in full in the May issue of MARINE REVIEW. Postmaster General Walter F. Brown, who, in his official capacity, is responsible for the award of ocean mail contracts provided in the Jones White law, brought the regrets of President Hoover that he found himself unable to ap- pear personally at the conference and stated that the President has every desire that the admin- istration shall co-operate fully with the shipping industry in rebuilding the merchant marine. Under the provisions of the Jones-White law, General Brown said, postal contracts have been awarded which definitely require the construction of 57 vessels of 600,600 gross tons costing in the aggregate about $255,000,000. This, he said, will include two $30,000,000 ships for the Atlantic service of the United States lines, which ships are designed to be faster and in every respect equal or superior to any ships afloat. Additional mail contracts now up will increase this total to 64 vessels of 663,800 tons, costing $270,846,000. Representative Arthur M. Free of California, a member of the house committee on merchant marine and fisheries, sounded a warning to the shipowners that they keep faith with congress and the shipping board in the conduct of the lines which they are operating with the aid of the Jones-White law. Justification for the Jones- White law, Mr. Free said, “lies solely in the extent to which it tends to equalize the cost of building and operating ships under the American MARINE REVIEW—June, 1930 19