THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[Decembkr 1, 1918. 



Broad American Maritime Policy Needed. 



Wrril Its princii)al raw material coming from the tropics 

 overseas in ships, and an increasing amount of its man- 

 ufactured product being exported to foreign lands, the 

 rubber industry, the fifth largest in America, realizes that the 

 development of a broad and sound American maritime policy 

 is of prime importance to the national welfare. Its interest in 

 the fifth annual meeting of the National Foreign Trade Council, 

 held at the Biltmore Hotel, Xevv York City, November 8, re- 

 quires no further explanation. 



The National Foreign Trade Council is made up of represen- 

 tatives of every factor of foreign trade, industrial, agricultural, 

 commercial, financial and transport. It represents every section 

 of the country, and among those present at the annual meeting 

 were men from the Pacific Coast, the South, the Middle West, 

 and New England, as well as from New York City, the rubber 

 industry being represented by E. H. Huxley, president of the 

 United States Rubber Export Co. 



A declaration against an economic warfare after the war, and 

 a strong pronouncement in favor of the adoption of a national 

 maritime policy that will permit the permanent retention and 

 operation of the newly constructed American merchant fleet 

 under the American flag were the distinguishing features of 

 this meeting. 



The chairman of the council is James A. Farrell, president of 

 the United States Steel Corp. In his address presenting the 

 report of the committee on merchant marine, of which P. A. S. 

 Franklin, Robert Dollar and himself were the members, he dis- 

 cussed some of the problems facing this country as a result of 

 the war and of the restoration of peace. 



NO ECONOMIC WARFARE. 



"The progress of the war," he said, "has been marked by much 

 discussion of proposals for and conditions of a continuation of 

 the contest by econoinic forces after the military struggle is 

 ended. Our supreme duty is to see to it that the peace terms 

 render impossible the continuance of conditions sought to be 

 corrected or prevented by economic warfare. If tlie peace is 

 satisfactory, there will be no need for economic warfare. If 

 the peace is not satisfactory, economic warfare will be pos- 

 sible. ' It is for us then rather to devote our fullest efifort now 

 to insuring the enforcement of an adequate, just, and final peace. 

 With such a peace we can go forward in confidence to meet and 

 solve the numerous and intricate problems certain to arise from 

 the complex and novel conditions naturally flowing from the 

 cataclysm that has overwhelmed the world during these last four 



NEW COMMERCIAL TREATIES. 



Mr. Farrell referred to the importance of the negotiation of 

 new commercial treaties which will be necessary promptly after 

 the conclusion of peace, and declared that the first problem of 

 reconstruction will be that of the merchant marine. He em- 

 phasized the importance of arriving promptly at an effective solu- 

 tion of this problem. 



"We are building the ships," he said, "which will be the most 

 effective agency in the permanent solution of the great after- 

 war problem ; always provided, however, that our nation adopts 

 a definite maritime policy which will permit the permanent 

 retention and operation of these vessels under the American 

 Flag." 



CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM SHOULD CONTINUE. 



The report emphasized the importance of continuing the 

 present accelerated construction program of the Shipping Board 

 for a considerable time after the war in order to complete cargo 

 and passenger-carrying ships aggregating about 14,000,000 gross 



tons, which will not only restore the world's tonnage losses, but 

 amply meet the needs of American foreign trade. 



Discussing the essential factors in the furnishment and opera- 

 tion of ships — the cost of capital, the cost of construction and 

 the cost of operation — the committee concluded that so far as 

 costs of capital and of construction are concerned, the United 

 States will not be disadvantageously situated after the war com- 

 pared with other maritime nations. 



COMPETENT CREWS ESSENTIAL. 



The report then says : 



"No one contends or believes that it is not desirable to have 

 American vessels fully manned by competent crews and to have 

 .American seamen enjoy the best possible conditions of life and 

 service, and receive in wages due and ample return for their 

 labor. But it is perfectly obvious that provision of law which 

 requires American vessels to maintain larger crews, and to pay 

 them higher w-ages than is the case with foreign vessels, neces- 

 sarily subject such American vessels to a disadvantage which 

 renders it difficult if not impossible for them to continue in 

 operation against the competition of foregn vessels which can . 

 operate at lesser cost." 



DEFINITE MARITIME POLICY NEEDED. 

 Summing up the whole matter, the committee says, "The 

 United States, then, will emerge from the war with a large mer- 

 chant fleet and with the facilities for its renewal and expansion, 

 but unless positive steps are taken in the very near future 

 toward the formulation and adoption of a sound national mari- 

 time policy, it may be set down as absolutely certain that these 

 newly constructed American vessels will not remain in opera- 

 tion under the .American Flag and that the American merchant 

 marine, rehabilitated with vast expenditure of capital and effort 

 as a war emergency measure, will again be dissipated under the 

 operation of inexorable economic laws. 



PROFITABLE OPERATION MUST BE ASSURED. 

 "We cheer the acquisition of the new fleet and we applaud 

 the energy of the Shipping Board and the tireless industry of 

 the thousands of workmen in tlie mills and shipyards who have 

 brought it into being; but our cheers will be idle and our enthu- 

 siasm and energy will have been wasted unless before the day 

 arrives for the renewal of competition that is bound to follow 

 the restoration of peace, we have formulated and adopted a 

 policy based upon honest recognition of fundamental economic 

 principles, which will enable us to meet that competition with 

 our new American ships, under the American Flag, with honor 

 and with profit to ourselves and without injustice or unfairness 

 to our competitors. It is most important that the American 

 should face his competitors under equal conditions. All that 

 is needed is a fair field and no favor. As an incident of the 

 international agreement and settlements soon to be worked out, 

 the maritime nations should agree upon uniform regulations 

 which will impose equal conditions and requirements upon all 

 alike. Such an arrangement would insure that equality which 

 will give every one a fair chance." 



INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT SOUGHT BY HURLEY. 

 It is understood that Edward N. Hurley, chairman of the 

 Shipping Board, who sailed for Europe November 16, plans to 

 seek an international agreement between the governments, ship- 

 ping interests and labor organizations of the principal maritime 

 powers for standardization of seamen's wages and working con- 

 ditions. He will probably propose that the .American laws and 

 the agreements between the governments and the seamen's unions 

 on these subjects be accepted as the standards and include that 



