Sea Communications - 1
The Merchant Marine
Major R. H. Thornton
In this series of talks dealing with the Merchant Marine, listeners are to hear how ships are run and how shipping works. We depend on ships, and as Major Thornton will point out in the opening talk today: 'Where cheap and bulky articles are concerned, the aeroplane is a very expensive method of transport. The American cotton crop will never reach Europe by air. Even when the sky is black with aeroplanes, you will still need the British Mercantile Marine.' And Major Thornton should know, for not only is he a shipowner, but, as listeners will remember, he gave the very excellent opening talk in the 'Conquest of the Air' series.
Listeners are to hear from various speakers of the difficulties facing the merchant shipping industry, on which we all depend.