The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-17
HUMPHREY TAKES Up
STEAMSHIP RATES
Incidentally a Newspaper Man
Resigns Position
GRAFT IS SUGGESTED
per Man Must Render Service
TO Foreign Steamer Lines
In Secret

Washington, June 16.-Representative
Humphrey of Washington. introducer of
the ship subsidy bill, today spoke In the
House upon various forms of combina-
tons among foreign steamship lines
touching American ports and referred TO
discriminatory rates charged for sending
American products abroad.
In the course of his speech he charged
that certain foreign lines were represent
ed in Washington by a member of the
staff of the Associated Press. In that
connection the following was issued by
the Associated Press:
1T having come to the knowledge of the
executive officers of the Associated Press
that an employee in the Washington office
has been engaged under salary by two
steamship lines to furnish them with GER
tain classes of information, an investiga
ton has been made. 1t has been dis
closed that, while such employment did
not at any time involve any act on the
part of the employee which could in any
way affect the integrity of the service
nor even interfere with his legitimate
and proper work for the Associated
Press, nevertheless such employment is
$50 subject to misconception as to seri-
ousy impair his usefulness and his rela-
ton to the Associated Press has in conse-
quence ceased by the acceptance of his
resignation.
This termination of his long, useful
and honorable service does not justify
any assumption that he has been consci-
cusly guilty of any wrong act, or that
the work he has done for the steamship
companies is such which one not con-
nected with the Associated Press might
not have done with propriety.
This is what Mr.. Humphrey said on the
subject:
1.-The hired representative of Herr Bal
lin and his interests is here in Washing
ton today on the stan of the Associated
Press, the greatest news gathering agen-
cy in the world. This gentleman's name
is Jerome ]. Wilber And when you re-
member how close the German merchant
marine is to the German navy it is at
least suggestive that this representative
OF the giant foreign trust should also be
tIc IcPI cStHldtlNt OI HIS ITieHQs. dS-
signed to our state, war and navy depart
ments. When he was on the witness
stand the other day he refused to testify
as to the amount of money that he was
being paid for this service. The next day
after that Mr.. Boaz of New York, the
American general manager of the Ham
burg-American Steamship company, was
upon the witness stand and he testified
that Mr.. Wilbers compensation was $1,000
nfh 70
does he do that he renders the company
such service?"
Mr.. Humphreys statements had refer
ence to testimony given before the House
committee which has been investigating
the alleged existence of a lobby in oppo-
sition to the ship subsidy project In
other parts of his ship subsidy speech
Mr.. Humphrey said that by a method of
fixing the trade. South America buys
from the United States only about 5 per
cent of what they import" Certain
American trusts, said Mr.. Humphrey, re-
ceived special rates and privileges from
the foreign shipping companies. He men
toned the Standard Oil company. the
Steel trust and the Harvester combine In
this connection.
THE neutrality-suspicious. Steamship
company is the greatest power. is the
most gigantic trust. is combined, and a
monopoly The largest in the world" de-
clared Mr. Humphrey.
All the different combines and COM
panies on the Atlantic OCEAN are also
under that gigantic working scheme and
have a common understanding. The head
of this greatest of all trusts Is the Ham
American line, he said. and 1t is
proba BILE the line exerts together with
Japan a controlling interest in all of the
Pacific conferences SO called, he con-
cluded.