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rivate Ownership Advocated American Steamship Owners Should Work Out Plan To End Govern- ment Operation—Country Will Support Such a Plan If Based on Facts BY ALFRED GILBERT SMITH President, American Steamship Owners Association HE past year has been filled with politieal cross currents in which were present grave anxieties and uncertainties as to what the future niight hold for American business. Until after election and the country settled down to a feeling of confidence and as- surance, there was no opportunity to bring out any plan or program in con- nection with the shipping problem. Any comprehensive pronouncement on the sub- ject, such as the country has a right to expect from those who own and op- erate its ships and cry out for the re- tirement of the government from the business, would have fallen on uninterest- ed ears, and received no consideration. But the time has now come when the members of the American Steamship Owners association must take up the problem in a serious endeavor to work cut a plan by which government opera- tion can be brought to an early end. The association numbers among its mem- bers substantially all of the owners of American shipping who are active. The people of the United States have the right to expect from this association help in the solution of this problem. If ‘we cannot solve it, who can? And if we cannot point the way out, what right have we to criticize the government for remaining in the business? Owners Must Point the Way The fact is that if private ownership in foreign trade is to expand, or even te continue to exist, the members of this association must evolve a workable plan by which the retirement of the govern- ment can be accomplished at an early date. This plan must not only be con- ceived, but it must be worked out in all its details, and backed by facts and rea- sons to withstand the assaults which its critics and the advocates of government operation will direct against it, such a detailed plan must be completed before the convening of the next regular session of congress, or by the time a special session is called, if none is convened by the President. This is not the task of your offi- cers alone. Any successful plan will have to be the product of the minds and experience of all the members. accomplish the desired end, therefore, it is the purpose of your officers and execu- tive committee to recommend that a con- To- ference of the members of the associa- tion be called at a convenient time in the near future, for the special purpose of considering and working out the prob- lem of devising ways and means of re- tiring the government from the shipping business. Preparations will be made in advance so that the conference can im- mediately set itself to the task with as little waste of time as possible. Our members on the Pacific as well as on the Atlantic coast are going to be asked to give up their private affairs long enough to attend and lend their assist- ALFRED GILBERT SMITH Mr. Smith was recently re-elected president of the American Steamship Owners associa-.. tion and his inaugural address is presented herewith ance. In this way, and only in this way, can the association evolve a business pro- posal which will stand the test of sound business judgment and practicable appli- cation, and at the same time attain the position of influence which it deserves in American business circles. A solution of this problem can be found. It may not be one that will please everybody, but whatever is found to be the basis for bringing about pri- . vate ownership and operation of the government’s fleet, the association must stand for it, and fight for it. There is every reason to believe that the country will back it so long as its plan is based on facts and not theory, and the facts 101 are made clear. One can safely prophesy that private ownership and _ operation will cost many millions of dollars less than the government is now spending on operations that are leading nowhere sc far as permanence of American ships in foreign trade is concerned. This is not the only task, however, which the association faces and must carry out, if it is to justify its continued existence, and to perform the services for its members which should properly be part of its functions. In my judg- ment, the scope of the association’s op- erations should be broadened, to give it the place of leadership and influence it ought to have, considering the magnitude and importance of the business which it represents. The membership of the as- sociation includes 52 companies, with a total seagoing tonnage of 3,028,901 gross. tons at hundreds of millions of capital. Influence Should Be Developed For example, it should have representa- tion in the chamber of commerce of the United States and in the international chamber of commerce. Can you think of English shipowners unrepresented in the councils of similar bodies? It ought to be able to wield a power and in- fluence that would make its voice listened to by the senators and congressmen of the seaboard states. In matters pertain- ing to shipping, why should not these servants of the people: give ear to a business that concerns in some way every man, woman and child? In a measure the association plays a part in all of these things, but not the part it should. Why not? I cannot say with certainty, but one of the plans which your of- ficers have in contemplation, is to find out why, and to remedy it if that is possible. : It is my -belief that the association should take a greater interest than it has in the relations between its mem- bers and the officers and men who man the ships. A closer, human_ interest ought be built up, which should have for its object more concern in the welfare of the men. The result will be greater efficiency on the part of labor and profit to the employers. The suc- cess which some members have met with in their individual efforts along these lines may well serve as an example of what can be beneficially accomplished.