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Show 'Sound National Maritime Policy Pol-icy Must Be yorked Out by Government. NEW YORK, Nov. $.- Problems of international trade facing the United States after the war, including the need for "a sound national maritime policy" which would insure continued operation under the American flag of ships built for war emergency, were discussed hero today at tho annual meeting of the National Foreign Trade council. Tho council, organized In 1DM under the auspices of tho American Manufacturers' Manu-facturers' Export association, American Ameri-can Asiatic association and the Pan-American Pan-American society of the United Slates, had at its meeting today manufacturers, manufactur-ers, fanners, banker's and transportation transporta-tion from all parts of the country. James A. Farrell, president of the United States Steel corporation, presided. pre-sided. ' With his follow members on the committee on merchant marine, P. A. S. Franklin of New York, and Robert Dollar of San Francisco, Mr. Farrell presented a roport which asserted ihat, unless a nalional policy was adopted, "it may bo set down as absolutely abso-lutely certain that tho American merchant mer-chant marine, rehabilitated with vast expenditure of capital and effort, as a war emergency measure, will again be dissipated under the operation of inexorable in-exorable economic laws." Asserting that private enterprise would refuse to invest the full $1,800,-000,000 $1,800,-000,000 which it was estimated would havo been expended in shipbuilding by the nation by tho end of the war, the report continued: "Manifestly tho correct procedure is that indicated by the chairman of the shipping board in his suggestion that the valuation of the vessels be written down, and that a portion of their cost be charged off to war sorvice. This procedure would bo eminently just, as well as absolutely necessary to the permanent retention and operation of tho vessels under our flag. "Tho war sorvice rendered hy these vessels Is of the highest character, not second to that of the guns and shells which they transport to the seat of war. But tho shells arc wholly written off? tho entire cost is charged to the war service. Whatever" valuation may bo determined upon ultimately as fair and just those ships will represent a recovery of expenditure for the government gov-ernment impossible in the case of vast disbursements for munitions." rn |