Show national affairs by FRANK P LITSCHERT another bill designed to aid the american merchant marine has bos passed the house of representatives at washington this Is the white bill which grants preference in the award of ocean mau mall contracts to shippers who purchase govern ment owned vessels from the U S shipping board the jones white bill authorizes preferential mall mail contracts ts tor for shippers building new vessels but says nothing about preference pre terence tor for f firms which purchase government vessels it Is presumed that this provision was left out of 0 the original bill through an oversight at any rate the white bill Is designed to encourage our merchant marine an and d this Is something commendable in itsell its elf 0 4 0 in fact we hove have much cause to be encouraged over our lusty young merchant marine the washington post poet recently assembled figures to show enow how the american shipping business has improved since 1914 the year marking the outbreak ot of the world war find and the array of figures was imposing as well as aa interesting for instance in ta the ie ten years ending with 1914 the value ol of american foreign trade carried in american vessels was a year but in the p past dat decade after the american people h had ad become interested once more in the development of an american merchant marine the yearly average value of our foreign trade carried in american vessels was vas quite an increase and worth expressing satisfaction over I 1 the figures show further that in 1914 american ships to the amount of gross tons were operating in the european trade and there were just six of them now we have american ships approximating a total tonnage of a million and a halt operating in the european trade the figures with ref reference arence to the south american trade are just as convincing in 1914 we had five ships of ills tons operating in the south american trade now ve v e have 90 ships of ct tons at the outbreak of the W world 0 ald war we had no american ships going 9 to africa now we have 22 ships of gross tons in the african trade in 1914 there were five ships going I 1 to the aar east regularly from our pacific ports now there are american ships with a gross tonnage of a million tons in this trade ap 4 0 it la is pointed out too that since 1914 our trade with europe has increased 60 50 per cent with south america per cent with africa per cent and with asia cent there Is a great deal ot of significance in these figures As our merchant marine has grown so BO has our foreign trade increased this Is only logical foreign ship owners mers are naturally interested in their own countries first they receive aid from their own govern j ments and are properly interested in promoting the trade of their native country and its general prosperity the same holds true ot of american shipping so that as our merchant marine increases our opportunities tor for foreign trade will increase of 01 course the time will never ca come me w when hen all of our foreign trade will I 1 be ba carried in american ships but with our thousands of miles of coast lines with our fine harbors and our general progress we are certainly entitled to our share of the ocean carrier business 0 0 00 0 it Is also a cause for satisfaction that shipping activities in our own ship yards I 1 have bee been ri increased by the jones bories white whit merchant an t m marine rin e a act t contracts have I 1 been awarded tor for seventeen seventeen great ships at a total cost of nearly and more are coming it Is anticipated that will be spent for new america within the next five years this will not only add to our merchant marine marinc but will provide jobs for american labor in the meantime e 0 4 we have not yet returned to the comparative para tive high position we enjoyed in the I 1 early days of the republic rep bit when h e n th the yankee clipper ships sailed brou prou proudly adly on every sea but we are on ci our way a and rid the outlook Is decidedly encouraging 11 certainly every patriotic american should use the ships of the united states merchant marine whenever he travels or ships abroad |