Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 April 1918 — MERCHANT MARINE BRINGS MARKET TO FARMERS’ DOORS [ARTICLE]

MERCHANT MARINE BRINGS MARKET TO FARMERS’ DOORS

Great Fleet of Ships Necessary to Haul Farm Products Abroad at Low Freight Rates. To the fanner in the Mississippi valley, busy about his barns and outbuildings, the question of a merchant marine seems Very far away. “Why,” he occasionally asks himself, “should I be interested in steamships, sailing from ports a thousand miles away? I have never been to" the Atlantic seaboard. Ships, whether sailing under the United States flag or the Union Jack, concern me not at all.” There is, however, a reason, and a good reason, why the farmer should be interested in this government’s efforts to put thousands of steel and wooden ships afloat as quickly as possible. The American farmer today is growing wheat, corn, oats and other produce that must be transported abroad to supply our own armies and those of our allies in France. When the war is over the wheat, corn and oats will continue to flow toward warstricken Europe. With thousands of ships to carry this produce, the freight rates will be correspondingly cheaper than they would be with only hundreds of bottoms available instead of thousands. The fact that freight rates are cheaper will not, however, abate the hunger of the millions in Europe clamoring for the wheat, corn and oats. The market there will remain the same and the present loft prices will be little changed. If it costs the grain dealer less to ship abroad, he will be able to pay higher prices to the farmer?.

The farmer is just as much interested in cheap freight rates as he always has been interested in cheaper freight rates on land. His market lies, not in Chicago and Minneapolis and Duluth, where a box car hauls his grain, it lies thousands of miles across the ocean where ships are carrying his produce. The farmer must help build ships and cut his freight rates to Europe. Someone sagely remarked (and many wise men since have repeated the proverb): “In times of peace prepare for war.” Germany has improved on the proverb, or twisted it, and over in tlse kaiser’s realm it now reads: “In times of war prepare for peace.” Germany is not so intent on winning this war that she has forgotten about the peace to come. The German reichstag has agreed, as a tentative policy, on a grant of $375,000,000 to facilitate the building of merchant sb.ips. The bill provides that the vessels shall be available within four years after peace is declared.

In other words, the German government is determined, not only to win this war, but to win commercial war to follow, by providing bottoms to carry, not only its own goods, but also the commerce of other hations whose ships it is sinking every day. The United States government has wisely set about to frustrate this Hohenzollern move, as much a military project as the hurling«of new German divisions against the French and British lines in France and Flanders. This government has instituted a shipbuilding program that will supply us with steel and wooden freighters to carry men, food, munitions and machinery to Europe in the course of the war and after peace is declared. It needs money for this great shipbuilding plan, if it is to defeat Prussianism now and after the war. The American farmer not only displays his patriotism by lending the government money to pursue its purpose, but conserves and builds his future interests.