OCR Text |
Show THE DOLLAR FIRST. The practice of transferring American ships to foreign registry has been stopped by proclamation of the president. presi-dent. It is said that 109 of such vessels have been placed under the flags of other countries since July 1, most of them Ceing registered in Xorway. It will be impossible for the government to commandeer the services of such freighters iu time of war and it is possible that the men who own them will be able to bleed the country ou account ac-count of the scarcity of tonnage, while the companies or individuals owning the ships which proudly fly the American flag will receive only ordinary returns. It is true that the laws passed during the half century that has elapsed since the close of the civil war have practically practi-cally prevented the restoration of our merchant marine. Siuce the outbreak of the war in Europe, however, we have had an opportunity to restore our flag to the high seas and many people supposed sup-posed we were making great gains. The fact that 109 vessels have taken foreign registry in the past seven months is evidence to the contrary. Merchant vessels ves-sels have been 'in great demand for the past two years and frequently the cost of a ship has been earued in a single voyage. Rates are extraordinarily high at the present time and the shipping companies in all the neutral countries are piling up great fortunes. The Japanese and the Norwegians have been systematically taking advantage advan-tage of the situation and arc constantly increasing their merchant marine by purchasing and building ships, much of the work for the Norwegians being done in the yards in the United States. Meanwhile we have been going backward back-ward because American ship owners are unwilling to conform to the seamen's act recently passed by -congress. They are able to pay good wages, provide the food required by the law and conform to the other regulations, but the ves- sets can be sailed more cheaply under foreign registry and the small-souled individuals in-dividuals who place the almighty dollar dol-lar above "Old Glory'' are making the most of their 'opportunity. Under such conditions the government will be compelled com-pelled to go into thp shipping business more deeply thnn intended and the result re-sult may be a government owned merchant mer-chant marine, which few people want. " |