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| W. A. Harriman As a Ship Operator (See March Issue for His Shipbuilding Record) BY V.G. IDEN TE HE world war gave W. A. Har- riman- an opportunity to prove his. manufacturing -- abilities, It gave him an opportunity to build ships and .to create a powerful shipbuilding corporation. In this respect he assisted his country considerably in the 'emer- gency then existing. The problems of peace gave him his second opportunity. This. was in the field of steamship oper- ation, "I realized, of course, that, as the re- sult. of the war," Mr. Harriman ex- plained, the while he drew geometric designs upon a pad on his desk, "the United States would find itself in pos- session of a vast fleet of ships. Also, it was clear that this country had so developed as a manufacturing' nation that it would produce far moré than could be consumed at. home. A great export trade, therefore, would be es- sential to the healthy development of the country. "Nothing is more necessary for the acquiring and maintaining of foreign markets throughout the world than ade- quate shipping facilities." The fact was recalled that some of the leaders he had drafted in his service when he first entered the shipping field were no longer with him. At this Harri- man smiled and refused to make any comment. This young ship operator not only knows how to organize but he knows how to sift out the organization he had built and keep only the best. But at this point Harriman paid a high trib- ute to R. H. M. Robinson. Mr. Robin- son, it appears, is the shipbuilding genius of the Harriman organization and he also came forward and assisted his chief mostly in building up his steamship - properties. "J can readily understand why many people might consider me a fool for going into a situation so beset with diffi- culties and with problems new to this country,' Mr. datriman said. "But 1 am willing to be judged by the acid test of time and results. If our plans are unsound, they will fail. If they are sound, they will succeed. I am confi- dent that Americans will develop ability to build up and conduct a great shipping business with as much success as_ they have succeeded in building up and con- ducting other industries. It is a work calling for years of studious application -and sleepless effort. But I believe it can be done." Learned By Experience He would make it appear that he is embarking upon a new venture with untried hands. As a matter of fact, Mr. Harriman did practically that when he' first entered the shipping business but he quickly changed his methods. His first venture was the creation of the Independent Steamship Corp. This line operated shipping board vessels upon allocation. Many other new = shipping firms sprang into existence in the same manner. Some have attempted to fol- low along the same lines they adopted when beginning. Mr. Harriman was not content with that. A company which 175 FOREIGN SHIP CONVERTED TO AMERICAN USE Prize of war, the former Prinz Erte, FRrepERick, is here shown sailing on maiden trip under the Harriman flag is merely an agent for the owners of ships has not the possibilities of a ship- ping company which is the owner as well as the operator of ships. When Mr. Harriman grew saturated with the details of the shipping business he plunged in with both feet. His in- clination for strenuous work asserted itself. And, in acquiring shipping prop- erties, he brought under his banner some of the most experienced ship- ping men who had been operating ships successfully under the American flag before the war. "After thinking the whole thing over very carefully and from every angle," Mr. Harriman said, "I concluded that there was no more useful work that I could undertake than to do what I could to help to develop American shipping on a sound economic basis. I well rec- ognized that I would encounter difficul- ties and obstacles, and these difficulties and obstacles are proving very stagger- ing. But I am profoundly convinced that the necessity for developing Amer- ican shipping is upon us, and I regard as embodying a fundamental truth the axiom that 'what becomes a _ necessity always becomes an eventuality.' "T am, therefore, resolved to devote my humble energies as well as capital to doing everything possible to transform this necessity into an eventuality, an actuality. But it can be done only with the support of the country: as a whole. The public must not sit back idle and inert on the principle that it is some- body else's business. American ships