Commerce, The United States Shipping Board announces that there are at present nearly 500 general cargo vessels employed in foreign commerce, which will doubtless come as a surprise in foreign shipping circles. More than 60 of the ships, it is stated, were cut out of the reserve fleet and out into commission in the month of October.
In the statement issued, it is announced it is announced' that the United States "is now experiencing practical demonstration of the inestimable value of an adequate American merchant marine." Many of the foreign vessels, it is explained, which usually carry a large part of American cargo, are now employed in hauling coal to Great Britain and European ports to supply the deficiency due to the strike of British coal-miners, and the present privately-owned American merchant fleet "can handle only a small part of the resulting congestion of other cargo tonnage destined to foreign markets." Fortunately the great reserve fleet of the United States board is available, and the Board, recognizing the urgent necessity of the situation, has transferred upwards of 60 vessels of this fleet to active service for use in carrying the tremendous volume of products secumulating at our sea ports, The current report of the Bureau of Research, U. S, Shipping Board, on the status and employment of American sea-going merchant ves-els at October 1 Inst, showed that 3 American general cargo ear were employed in foreign eommete on that date as against only 39 on July 1. T have no means at hand of verifying these figures, but from a report in a current shipping journal it is stated, moreover, that the American merchant fleet of ocean-going steam and motor vessels of 1,000 gross tons and over me cluded, on October 1, 2130 vessels of aggregate gross tonnage of 10,646,764 tons. One thousand two hundred and fifteen of these vessels, of 5,847,776 gross tons, were prive owned, and 916 vessels of 4,708, "48 tons'were government-owned.
During the present week the U. S. Fleet Coryoration is scheduled' to make recommendations to the Ship-ug Board which are said to have important bearings upon Ameri a ing generally. Already this ear, through lack of sufficient Airvican space, chavter rates. for prodvels across the Atlantic eve advanced sharply. Esch ent ual. charged for_ the. trans frting of a. bushel "of wheat to! Kovope naturally means a cent out; the pocket of the farmer.
ie Inst few years shipments have voragod between 176,000,000 and 180,000,000 bushels, and it is pointed out that when foreign ships carry American products the amount paid {o'the foreign ships acts as a re-hate on the purchase. price of the goods. The object of the sale of vessels involved by the Shi Board is to "provide an American merchant marine which will not only carry American goods in American bottoms, but which can act asa check jon the advance of rates by foreign shipping The policy employed by the most successful" British operators of steamship companies is to maintain Tincr service which will be attra tive and enable travelle1 to Tatronize the same line in either direction, and for this three ships fof approximately the same size are necessary. For example, the White Star has the Majestic, the Olympic and the Homeric and the Cunard Tine the A the Mauretania however, has no sister ships whic can be used economically with her.
This fact, it is believed, is behind. the J. P. Winchester Company proposal to build two $15,000,000 ex. press liners with the aid of the Government through the construction plan fund authorized under the Merchant Marine Act of 1920.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.