Weigh Anchor!

U.S. shippers, anxiously waiting for Congress to chart a shipping policy, could finally weigh anchor. Congress passed the Bland Bill, which provides for 1) the disposal of surplus war-built ships; and 2) refunds to ship operators to reimburse them for the high cost of ships purchased during the war. From the vast U.S. merchant fleet of 40,080,000 tons, 61% of all the ships in the world, the U.S. Maritime Commission will put on the block 2,000 or more slow Liberty ships, about 400 faster Victory ships and C-type cargo liners, and about 550 speedy tankers. Selling very many of these will not be easy.

The Commission had hoped to sell 1,000 to foreign buyers. But they have shown scant interest; they are building better ships of their own, many in the U.S. The Netherlands has contracted with U.S. yards to build 30; Brazil has started 14; Great Britain, Norway and Denmark are rebuilding their fleets as fast as possible. Nor is the Commission pinning its hopes on the tubby Libertys to capture the biggest share of world shipping.

The Maritime Commission proposed to go right on building better ships, 50 a year. (In 16 years after 1920, the U.S. built only two dry-cargo ships.) Thirty are already abuilding or contracted for, at a cost of $93 million. At the end of this month, the Commission will open bids for the fastest merchant vessels ever built in the U.S.: two 670-ft., 28-knot, 543-passenger liners. It is also busy reconverting the P-2s, originally built as Navy troop carriers, for private shippers. Their cabins, in which the beds neatly fold into the bulkhead (see cut), will carry tourists more comfortably--and probably more cheaply--than prewar ships.

The Commission does not yet know what it will do with the millions of tons of ships it cannot use or sell. As insurance, which it considers cheap, it hopes to keep at least 20,000,000 tons in "standby" condition. Estimated cost (in the Commission's own winning words): the price of one ice-cream soda a year for everyone in the U.S.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.