EFFICIENCY IN THE OPERATION OF STEAMSHIPS. 133 
PROFESSOR SADLER :—I would point out, against that, that the interest and depreciation 
charges have to be spread over six months instead of over a year. 
Mr. Rice :—In a discussion of total operating costs, Dr. Sadler’s point is well taken; 
we are, as I understand it, discussing fuel costs per ton-mile and I do not see where interest 
and depreciation come in. 
Mr. Henry G. SmitH, Member:—I have nothing to add to the details of this subject 
of “Efficiency in the Operation of Steamships,” but I think we are particularly indebted to Cap- 
tain Sullivan for bringing out some very salient facts and in giving us some actual data 
regarding the various matters which should be considered in the economic operation of steam- 
ships. My personal opinion is that we have been fooling ourselves for the last fifty years by 
not facing the facts, the principal reason for which has been an absence of reliable facts upon 
which to make a comparison. With the true facts before us it is self-evident that you cannot 
build ships or operate them as cheaply in this country as you can abroad. A previous speaker, 
who believes that we will be able to build and operate as cheaply in this country as abroad 
without some outside aid, is certainly an optimist, and I cannot let his belief go unchal- 
lenged, as I am very sure that you cannot possibly build or operate ships in this country as 
cheaply as abroad with the differential in wages and the differential in operating expense 
that now exists. The reason for it is that ships are not like Singer sewing machines or Ford 
automobiles—that is, built in great numbers and repeat jobs—but in ships there are very 
few duplicates and there is, therefore, very little opportunity to make use of the experience 
you gained in building one ship in the production of a second or third as there are com- 
paratively very few repeat operations, whereas in the Singer sewing machine and Ford 
automobile referred to there are thousands of them manufactured and every part is a re- 
peat operation. The first essential toward low cost of ship construction is ships to build, 
and in the absence of some aid that will give us ships to build there is, of course, but little 
opportunity to reduce the cost which comes from quantity production and which to a consid- 
erable extent exists abroad. 
I hope the Society may be favored in the future with still more papers of the type which 
Captain Sullivan has presented, as they will be of real value in connection with our future 
study of this subject. 
ProFessor Evers BurtNER, Member (Communicated) :—This paper by Captain Sulli- 
van is a notable addition to the number recently presented which consider the problems of 
ship operation. I only wish that the press would educate us all to the conviction that Amer- 
ican shipping in foreign trade represents practically our only unprotected industry. While 
most of our port captains, marine superintendents and port engineers have had training as 
masters or chief engineers, I feel that the shore staff should include a man with shipbuilding 
and ship repair experience. 
All of us agree with Captain Sullivan that with plenty of cargo the time spent in port 
should be reduced as much as possible. However, to the writer’s best knowledge no conve- 
nient method of rapidly following up the delays ina fleet of vessels has been advanced. Mr. 
Ralph Emery, president of John S. Emery & Company, Inc., of Boston, suggested a semi- 
graphical log sheet, which has been used by his company in operating several lines of vessels. 
The master or agent advised the manager as to the vessel’s operations, and the latter imme- 
diately entered this news on the log by the proper characteristic line, together with any other 
