SPECIAL MAY MEETING. 11 
What we want is shipowners, and that is what we lack. You get a shipowner who has 
a ship, I do not care where, and he cannot get a cargo; why, that man will do everything short 
of stealing, and some of them do steal, to get acargo for the ship to get her back home. 
It is said that it does not make much difference what kind of a ship you employ. It 
does make a difference. Do you think that I am running my ships in an effort to develop 
the trade of Liverpool or Loudon or Madrid or any other place? Not at all. I am trying to 
develop the commerce of the United States and lie awake nights most of the time doing it. 
(Applause. ) 
I have been accused, and I plead guilty, of operating British ships. Well, why the devil 
do I do it? Because I could not operate American ships; I did not have money enough. And 
it would take a man with a pretty long purse to operate American ships in the foreign trade. 
It cannot be done, gentlemen, under our laws; and if we would only enforce our laws to the 
letter—and I would ask our congressman when he gets back, for God’s sake enforce the laws 
to the letter, and no ship can sail from an American port; you will tie up the whole com- 
merce of the country. There is a great deal of delay in the inspection of our ships; that a 
good many of you understand. With the British and the Japanese there is no delay; the 
inspectors have orders not to delay the ships. If they cannot finish an inspection they will 
do it at the next opportunity. But with our laws they have to be inspected and finished at 
once. 
There are a great many things that militate against it. A man brought a proposal to 
sell a ship into my office this afternoon; he wanted to sell the ship. I looked at it. I said, 
“T have got a ship, just a duplicate of that, but,” I said, “your ship is 5,000 tons net. My 
ship is only 4,080 tons net.” I said, “With your ship, you have got to pay on a thousand tons 
more than I do every time you put your ship into the dry dock; your pilotage and all charges, 
dues that are assessed against a ship, on your ship you have got to pay one-fifth more than I 
have.” 
For the last twenty or twenty-five years I have been trying to talk to them in Washing- 
ton about that, but it is of no use; they will not make any change, but they measure our ships 
bigger. Colonel Goethals here awhile ago was telling of two sister ships, one a British ship 
and another an American ship, going through the Panama Canal, and it cost $500 more 
to put the American ship through the Canal every time than the British ship. I would say to 
our congressman, when you get back please look into that and try and hammer some horse 
sense into our fellows down there. (Laughter and applause. ) 
I was only to take ten minutes, and I am pretty sure I have talked more than ten minutes, 
so I thank you for your attention. (Applause. ) 
Tue Presipent:—I know it has been both-a pleasure and a privilege to you to listen 
to this veteran of the American shipowning profession, and it is easy to see how much you 
have all enjoyed it. I am sure you will all wish me to tender your hearty thanks to Captain 
Dollar for his most interesting talk. 
CAPTAIN DoLiaR :—Thank you. 
Tue Presipent:—Now, gentlemen, we will adjourn from this room, and Mr. Cox will 
lead the way to the meeting room, where we are to hear the reading of the paper by Captain 
O’Donnell, and such discussion as may occur in consequence. 
