On the High Seas

The United Nations shipping pool, greatest transportation enterprise in history, was breaking up. Seventeen seafaring nations, whose merchantmen had carried the war-winning cargoes, gathered this week in London to plan the demise of the United Maritime Authority (due to expire March 2) and decide what part of the common effort for war should be turned to the common tasks of reconstruction.

Their most urgent problem was to move enormous amounts of relief and rehabilitation supplies (some sent by UNRRA, some purchased by foreign governments) to ravaged countries. At least twelve million tons of grain, nine million tons of coal must reach Europe from the Americas before July. Needy countries will call for other foods, clothing, fuels, building supplies and machinery. Long port delays, irregular schedules, return trips in ballast, diversions to out-of-the-way points, make this type of carrying unpopular with private shipowners, eager to get back to lucrative regular runs. It will be a job largely for the nations with "surplus" ships--more ships than they need to carry their own trade.

Pre-eminent among the "surplus" nations is the U.S. War sinkings, war building had wrought many changes in the world's merchant fleets, and none more striking than the towering tonnage supremacy of the U.S. merchant marine (more than half the world total).

Led by Acting War Shipping Administrator Captain Granville Conway (successor to Vice Admiral Emory S. Land), the U.S. will propose a modified UMA for six months after March 2, hopes it will lead to a permanent shipping agency under UNO.

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