SEA SUPREMACY.

Franklin Times, Volume XXI, Issue 68, 12 June 1931, Page 2

SEA SUPREMACY.

AMERICA'S HOPES. ' NEW MERCHANT MARINE. A vision ul' American shipping dominating the high seas trade lias been conjured up by a group of distinguished Congressmen and Shipping Board officials (says the "Daily Telegraph"). The occasion was the laying of the keel of Camden, New Jersey, of the first of two 30,000-lon passenger liners destined for the North Atlantic service. This vessel will he the first built in the United Stales expressly for the New York-Soyllinmplon service for thirty years. The speakers described the ceremony as the most, significant event in the maritime history of the United States since the World War.

If the Government continues its liberal construction loans and heavy mail subsides Die new ship, Ihe speakers declared, would be the forerunner of a great shipbuilding boom which would keep the shipyards of the country humming with activity. Not only would this give employment to many thousands, but also, in their view, inevitably establish the United States as the leading maritime Power The generous Government support, demanded was pledged by Senator Wesley Jones and Senator Wallace White, the joint authors of the Merchant Marine Act, which was already made possible the planning of thirty six new ships. Mr T. V. O'Connor, chairman of the United States Shipping Board, momentarily dampened the enthusiasm by emphasising the point that European countries would not relinquish their hold upon the ocean traffic without a struggle. He said that the best'naval architects in Europe were planning larger and speedier craft than any yet afloat in a peacetime battle for supremacy. Appeal to Patriotism. Mr White pointed out that it would be useless to build ships unless Americans patronised them. If Americans would travel in American liners and send their goods by them with the loyalty shown by British citizens to the British flag the millions of pounds paid out annually by Americans to foreign ships would be kept at 'home and "the lost heritage that was America's be restored." Mr Jones accused the foreign firms of taking advantage of America's lack of 'ships during the war to raise rates —sometimes as high as 2000 per cent. "We have not been building ships since then," he said, "because we are still paying interest on the millions.we borrowed to build ships after we entered the war." „ Senator Dwight Morrow, who drove home the first rivet of the new keel, urged the upbuilding of an adequate merchant marine as essential to American commerce and security. His experience at the London Naval Conference, he said, convinced him that the most indisputable interest which the United States. Government had in building an adequate merchant marine was to have a secondary defence in time of war.

The construction of the sister ship of the one just begun will be started in March. The United States Lines will pay something over £4,000,000 for both and delivery is promised in eighteen months. They will be twin-screw vessels driven by a triple series of turbines developing 34,500 horsepower and giving a speed of twenty knots. Each will accommodate 600 first-class, 490 tourist, and 200 thirdclass passengers.