Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-06
CHARTERiNG VESSELS
Means by Which American Com
merce is Extended.
VIEWS OF A SHIPPING MERCHANT
Testimony Before the Industrial
Comm sslcn.
LAWS RECON- NJ E n d E d

Mr.. Frank l.. Neal of Philadelphia was a
witness TODAY before the industrial COM
mission, holding sessions in the Bliss build
ing opposite the Capitol. Mr.. Neal Is a
shipping merchant Shipping and trans
portation, he said, We're intimately related.
As a rule. all cargoes shipped to the east
ern ports are to be shipped by previous ar
raugement by some particular line New
York has four or five times much bust
ness as any If the other eastern ports in
the way of shipping.
The British government having taken
about seventy-tive If the steamers former
ly engaged in the transportation business
from the eastern ports of the United States
in order To use them for the transportation
of supplies and troops To the Transvaal, the
rates for freight had greatly risen, in some
cases as much as 10 per cent. He showed
the intense competition on the part of
transportation companies carrying the
grain to the eastern ports, and he d1d not
believe under present conditions there Is
any danger that there Will be high rates
The agents of the railroads in the west are
advised of the changing ocean rate. and
they add to this rate their own, which
makes the total rate.
The ocean transportation gave the freest
competition. Wheat is taken cheaper than
-four because it is handled and stored away
more economically.
Justifes Discrimination to Exporters.
Mr. Neal believed in lower export rate
than is usually charged for shipping grain
to the east for the reason that such rate
allowed disposition of the surplus OF
grain, and if this surplus were not disposed
of 1t would bear down the price of the
grain in this country. He stated that the
capacity of all the steamers and railway
vessels OF the world is 2S.ooc,WO tons. While
tod al
100000 TONS and of the latter only $780,
90 are in vessels able to engage in the At
lantic trade at a profit.
This shortage of American bottoms Is
partly met by Americans charterlng foreign
vessels and today there are four times as
many such vessels chartered as there were
two years ago. If it had not been FOR thls
movement in chartering vessels the witness
was satisfied that American goods could not
now be placed in all the out-of-the-way
places of the world. The owners OF these
vessels make ~ to - per cent out OF their
investment, and Mr.. Neal wanted law so
that Americans could take part in this
profitable industry. At the present time
England can build vessels cheaper than
this country, but there is no building OF
tramp steamers in this country
Purchase of Foreign Vessels.
He favored laws allowing Americans to
purchase foreign-built vessels for foreign
trade. excluding them from cur nome ports
1t would take too long to pulid up our
merchant marine by building vessels. we
should be allowed to buy them, and let the
building come later. and these vessels pur-
chased should be put under the American
flag.
He did not think the question of discrim-
mating duties to favor American owners
would be desirable as means OF building
up the American merchant marine.
Commissioner Kelly Appears.
Mr.. n. b. Kelly, freight commissioner OF
the Trades League of Philadelphia, ap-
peared before the commission this after
noon