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ONAN ) | THE M i I Ul QAM AT TT VOL. 48 CLEVELAND JULY, 1918 NEW YORK Now? Government Officials Are Acquiring Knowledge of Steamship Operation That Promises Better Legislation in the Future—Railroads’ Experience is a Guide MERICAN railroads have been directed as one A system for less than six months. One is tempted to believe, however, that already a more genuine appreciation of the problems of the railroads is held in Washington than ever before. And that understanding is being acquired by those in the best position today to put that knowledge into effect. Those anxious to read into the future of the American merchant marine that success which the country’s welfare demands, are hoping that the edu- cation of official Washington in transportation § will be proved thorough when the operation of American steamships again becomes a big problem. Team Work Has Been Absent Our two systems of transportation—by land and _ by water—have never simultaneously enjoyed pros- perity. Some of America’s greatest maritime records were made, of course, in the days preceding the de- velopment-of the locomotive. The days of railroad expansion were days of maritime declension. War is proving a corrective to this condition and at the same time that our merchant marine is being revived, the railroads are benefiting from remedial measures they tried vainly to secure when privately owned. The shipping board ever since its organization has been occupied primarily with the imperative war need of rapid ship construction. This program is being carried out, the ships are being built and the pros- pects for an imposing freight carrying fleet in the | future are bright. On the assurance of Chairman Hurley, as given on a following page, we can expect in 1920 to take first rank among the ship owning nations of the world. Another duty equally important was imposed upon the shipping board by the law bringing the board into existence, that is, to study navigation problems and laws with a view to giving permanence to an Amer- ican merchant marine. War conditions have devel- oped a situation which the law makers could not fore- see. Construction rather than supervision demanded the board’s immediate attention. As a result the 271 board was forced to take over the direction of all large American ships and thus become a steamship operator without having had time to study the prob- lems that others in the same position had been facing. Preparing for Peace in Times of War There is no reason to doubt that the experience will be beneficial both to the board and to steamship owners. A recent questionnaire conducted by the as- sociated chambers of commerce of the Pacific coast revealed a widespread belief held by steamship oper- ators that many remedial measures must be adopted before our merchant marine could be shifted safely from war to a peace basis. Among the reconmen- dations suggested were: Standardization of the steam- boat-inspection service; changes in measuring ships to conform with practice of other nations; reduction in number of officers and crew, especially in the engine room, on. vessels of different tonnage, to conform to . British requirements; legislative action to offset wage differences ; change of American requirements for qual- ifications of officers and crews to conform to those of Great Britain; adoption of the less costly British scale of victualing ships; amendment of seamen’s law particularly by eliminating provision requiring payment of one-half wages at each port, by making language requirements similar to those of competing nations and by modifying provision for licensing able seamen so as to permit competent men to qualify regardless of length of service. An Analysis of the Board’s Work On the following page is the first detailed analysis of the shipping board’s work in operating all large American steamships as one fleet. The article directs public attention to a big and imperfectly understood problem, but one which will assume greater import- ance. With two federal agencies simultaneously studying and operating our major transportation systems the prospects for more enlightened legislative action at Washington are brighter than ever before.