The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

demanding the permanent establish- ment of an American merchant ma- rine to carry the greater portion of. our commerce. He pointed out that a lack of a merchant marine had on several occasions made it impossible to adequately carry on our commerce. He referred to the time of the Boer war and again in 1914 when the products of farms and industry were piled high on the wharves and stored in box cars for thousands of miles back from the seaboard as well as in bursting warehouses and grain ele- vators. In concluding Mr. Steward said: “T am sure that you will agree when I say that the attitude toward our merchant marine in this crisis is the test of our policy on the great. est single factor involved in retain- ing our supremacy in foreign trade and the subsequent return of normal business activity of these United States. “The Middle West wants an Ameri- can merchant marine. “Mhe Middle West must have an American merchant marine. “Our farmers, manufacturers and producers of raw material must never again be left stranded on high and dry land.” Our Trend on the Pacific APT, W. J. PETERSEN of the Paci- fic American Steamship associa- tion next addressed the conference. He pointed out that it is up to the shipowner himself to meet the diffi- cult conditions that confront him and unless the shipowner does so he is not going to get very much relief. Among the problems he referred to was the status of trade with the Philippines and the wisdom of con- tinuing the policy that will keep the increasing trade with the islands for American ships. Another matter of financial con- cern to American ships Captain Petersen said is the management of the Panama canal, and concerning the operation of which even our steamship operators are not well in- formed. He pointed out the injustice of charging merchant vessels, through tolls, for the upkeep of the national defense establishment at the canal and the transit of ships of war and of vessels of the Panama Rail- road Steamship Co. and the repair, dockage and maintenance of these vessels which have reduced commer- cial rates and are in unfair competi- tion with private vessels. He also referred to the necessity for radification of the international agreement for the safety of life at sea. ‘Mention was also made of the annoy- ing and often costly demands on private shipowners due to unneces- sary variation in statute and in the lack of clarity and directness of the language of some of these statutes. As an illustration he mentioned the reversal of established precedent by 16 a decision of the Supreme Court on Nov. 7 last in connection with the status of a foreign seamen on an American ship. In concluding Captain Petersen suggested that the merchant marine needed within the government a deé- finite head just as much as do the departments of war, interior, com- merce, labor, etc. By having such 4 head with the centralized power to carry out an American merchant ma- rine policy it would be possible to give the merchant marine what is needed to place it on a solid and efficient basis. He expressed the hope that the time had arrived, with a new and united administration going into office, for constructive effort to centralize the national administra- tion of our American merchant ma- rine so the American shipowner and operator can present his problems and complaints and thus assure suc- cess for this important commercial and national industry. HE Farmers and the Merchant Marine was the subject of an address prepared by James C. Stone, chairman of the federal farm board. He emphasized the fact that in the future the farmers through their organizations are going to exert a more active influence on ocean trans- portation and that the agricultural elements have a definite interest in the commendable work already done in improving the shipping service to foreign countries. The establishment of numerous lines with ships from this country to all principal ports of the world giving some control over ocean freight rates should mean something to the farmers in actual dollars and cents. Mr. Stone suggested that tie farmer has been gradually finding a common ground upon which he could organize for economic, commercial and even social purposes. A large pereentage of agricultural producers now belong to well organized associ- ations. It is through these associa- tions that the farmers may be most effectively reached and he urged the importance of contact with these or- ganizations by those who are respon- sible for the development of our American merchant marine. OSEPH, P. RYAN, president of the International Long shoremen’s as- sociation prepared an address on the cooperation between employes and employers. He dealt on the value of cooperation between employes and employers in the marine labor field and concluded his remarks by say- ing: “And so I feel that I can very truthfully say that there is absolute cooperation between the membership of our international association and our employers. “Tn concluding I pledge to you, Mr. Chairman of the United States ship- ping board and to our marine em- ployers, the full cooperation of our MARINE REVIEW—March, 1933 organization in any measures, whether legislative or otherwise, that will serve in placing the American merchant marine in the high posi- tion where it belongs, as we realize the future of our country is to a great extent dependent upon a strong, functioning American mer- chant marine,’’ LEVELAND A. NEWTON, gen- Ce counsel of the Mississippi Valley association spoke on “Value of Merchant Marine to the Interior.” Mr. Newton pointed out the necessity of getting the average man the voter, throughout the country to a full realization of the necessity of a mer- chant marine both in the interests of our commerce and as a measure of national defense. Also, that it costs more to build ships in American yards than it does in foreign yards and that it costs more to operate these ships under the American flag because of the difference between foreign and American standards of living. In coneluding his Newton said: “Mail pay? It may be true that some of these ships are not carrying enough mail to justify the pay. Why can’t we convince the people of the interior of this country that mail pay is the thing which secures the dependable ocean service from our ports to foreign ports; that depend- able ocean service develops com- merce in foreign ports, and that mail follows commerce, and while your mail pay may not be justified from an economic standpoint, purely from carrying the mails today, you will carry on that dependable service and improve your class of service, make your ships more speedy and more de- pendable and push that commerce under the American flag, and the time may well come when this ex- penditure of the government will be reduced, when our national defense will be made more secure, and when our commerce with foreign countries will come into its own with the other maritime nations of the world.” remarks Mr. HE last speaker at the conference was R. R. Massey representing the American Merchant Marine Li- brary association. Mr. Massey pre- sented to the conference a brief re- view of the operation of the associa- tion over a period of 11 years. The association provides a free circulat- ing library service for seamen sail- ing under the American flag and for men serving in isolated coast guard stations, lighthouses and lightships. The valuable work being done by this association has been referred from time to time in past issues of MARINE REVIEW. “The general affairs of the associ- ation,’’ said Mr. Massey, ‘“‘are gov- erned by a board of trustees consist- ing of 23 members and a national advisory board of 8 members.