| OCR Text |
Show WHY SHIPS DON'T SELL RAPIDLY The chairman of the Shipping Board, John Barton Payne, dutifully follows the example of his predecessor, Mr. Hurley, and talks of a great American merchant marine. He is sad because the sales of ships do not keep pace with the launch-ings, launch-ings, and evidently regrets that the few successful shipping companies in the U. S,. wait for lower prices before buying. Mr. Hurley left office without, explaining explain-ing the exact manner in which a shipping company might buy a steamer built at war prices, man it with American sailors at high wages and still compete in the freights of the world, with ship owners whose vessels cost half as much and who are free to hire seamen at wages 60 per cent lower than those drawn by American crews. Judge Payne expects private enterprise to take too large a risk. Shipping companies com-panies might make money for a tim? but when the rest of the world gets goirg we can no more compete with them in chipping chip-ping as the prices, wages and laws now stand than American manufacturers, with wages and low production as they , now exist, will be able to bid against European Eur-opean manufacturers when Europe gets going in the old way. New York Sun. ft ft ft |
