ii2 Miracles Ahead! 



emergency. But the Maritime Commission also authorized the 

 building of smaller numbers of ships in its long-range pro- 

 gram cargo ships of the C-i, C-2, and C-3 types that use 

 either Diesel or turbine power and can be used after the war. 

 In addition, some of the slow-moving Liberty ships, which 

 would not be considered economical in normal times, may be 

 converted to Diesel motors in order to keep them in service. 



The clearest outline of postwar shipping policy yet given 

 by a government official was announced in a speech in June, 

 1943, by Admiral Emory S. Land, chairman of the Maritime 

 Commission and War Shipping Administrator. He visualized 

 a record-breaking peacetime merchant fleet of from fifteen 

 million to twenty million tons, and also advocated the adop- 

 tion of tramp shipping as a definite part of the maritime econ- 

 omy after the war. 



Tramp shipping, which follows no definite routes or sched- 

 ules but goes when and where cargo may be found, has here- 

 tofore been frowned upon by the commission as uneconomic. 

 Admiral Land also favored private ownership, private opera- 

 tion, and private construction of ships; shipment of "a liberal 

 percentage of our overseas traffic in American bottoms"; es- 

 tablishment of proper routes, lines, and services with a mini- 

 mum of American competition necessary, and maintenance 

 for the duration of the commission's policy of holding title to 

 new ships. 



"Post-war maritime objectives," Admiral Land declared, 

 "are not being overlooked because of the exigencies of war. 

 We are not losing sight of the objective manifestly set up in 

 the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 which gives the Maritime 

 Commission the duty of proper rehabilitation of the merchant 

 marine. 



"In order to plan properly for the after-the-war period," 

 he added, "consideration must be given to the probable fleet 

 under the American flag that will be in existence at the end 



