NATIONAL FOREIGN TRADE COUNCIL. 155 



It has been suggested that the derangement of normal conditions resulting from the 

 war has rendered difficult — even impossible — the practical performance of some of these 

 tasks, such as the examination into comparative costs of construction and the examination 

 into comparative costs of operation. Your Committee suggests, however, that a vast amount 

 of valuable information is available as to conditions obtaining prior to the war, and which 

 may be approximated again not long after the restoration of peace. Your Committee sug- 

 gests also that no obstacles have been created by war conditions which render impractical 

 the present performance of the investigations into the subject of marine insurance and the 

 American navigation system ordered by Congress. Furthermore, the information to be de- 

 veloped by these investigations is of the utmost importance in the formulation of the fun- 

 damental national maritime policy, which is an absolutely essential prerequisite to the perma- 

 nent retention and operation of the New American merchant fleet under the American flag. 

 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 the mills and shipyards who 

 have brought it into being; but our cheers will be idle and our enthusiasm 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 fliag, with honor and with 

 profit to ourselves and without injustice or unfairness to our competitors. It is most im- 

 portant 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 set- 

 tlements 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. 



Respectfully submitted, 



James A. Farrell^ 

 P. A. S. Franklin, 

 Robert Dollar. 



The President : — We will now have papers Nos. 9 and 10. We will have them' read 

 and then discussed together. The first is No. 9, entitled "Experiments upon Simplified Forms 

 of Ships," by Pro'f. H. C. Sadler, Member of Council, and Mr. T. Yamamato, Visitor. 



Professor Sadler presented the paper. 



