Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-03-08

Of the independent water line meeting
held at Washington, D. c., Feb. l. 1910.
In explaining the position of the in.
dependent shipping interests, Mr.. Hayne
said:
The present interstate commerce law
provides that water route can be Joined
ma through route. provided no reason
able or satisfactory through route exists
In the proposed law the above proviso
has been eliminated, with the effect of
subjecting the local business of all YES
sells to provisions of the commerce act
never contemplated by the people and to
an artificial regulation. preventing the
economic laws which regulate vessels on
free and open highways.
The amendment proposed by the ship
ping interest, which is contained in the
| brief filed with Congress and the attor-
ney general, goes further than any re-
quest which has ever been made by the
public in an endeavor to meet all pub
lie requirements. and is intended to keep
the Independent water lines free, under
natural laws of competition, and pre-
serve their prese mt position of high stand
ard. good and satisfactory service to the
people with reasonable rates lower diff
ferentials and their regulative rate pow
ers, and to preserve them against char
| acter of cheap, irresponsible COMPETE
| ton. which would either drive them from
| the field or lower their standards of eff
| ficiency and safety which the public de-
| mands.
| luis DelnS the llTSl Step over TIE line
of demarcation between land carriage
| and water carriage. established by the
time honored policy of the people, its
tinal tendency is more likely towards
| the complete effacement. of the proposed
law as ineXorably as night follows day.
THE amendment further contains def
nltlve LANGUAGE, seeking to make ii plain
| that the local business of IA water line
| is not molested.
Another provision of the amendment
| makes it clear that the great statutes
] passed in accordance with the policy of
| all nations to protect our merchant ma
rine. may not by implication, be re-
pealed.
| 1t is the view of those informed on
the difference between rail transportation
| and water transportation, and the mn-
equal struggle of the latter under present
| laws, that any further burdens laid on
| the merchant marine would more than
neutral1Ze the intense effort of the Amer
| lcan people towards its encouragement
and npbuilding.
Mr.. Hayne further urged: That the
| tendency towards interfering with nat
ural competitive and economic laws,
where there are no abuses to correct, is
destructive. That natural and open high
ways should be as free to the people as
the air we breathe: that bound to this
principle are the vehicles of transporta-
ton using such free and open highways,
which is God-given union, one wholly
dependent upon the other. in giving their
combined benefits to the people. Such
free water routes operate under funda-
mental natural laws without unfair ad-
vantage or friction. and with their evo-
buttons toward higher and better stand
ard; laws which cannot but be weakened
| by human intervention.
II was his opinion that: The temple
Of the American people has been miSun-
derstood, and in same instances falsely
interpreted, and that instead Of cheap
transportation. with all its attendant In
convenences and dangers. il Wa prompt
efficient ana above all safe transporta-
"a Ia Noe NIht ..ll Ia
pie dema nded. That opening the doors to
the possibility Of unreasonable ana de-
structive cheap service. with unnecessary
competing routes. presents the same con
ditions which threw 50 many rail line.
into receivers hands twenty years ago
for a community unable to support all
the lines running through their territory
suffers in the end by the struggle of the
weaker ones for existence.
He was emphatic in the view: That
although Commission maye be Influence
the people, the change OF personnel might
cnan2e Il proper ADMINISTRATION of the
law ard that the law itself should first be
settled properly on principle.
encourage and upbuild the merchant ma
rne, which in the deepening of channels
alone will run over S45.00O'Oo per year.
and other work along the same linz, will
he of no avail without vessels unobstruct-
ed by hurtfu legislation
ITO limit the free field of operation of
such vessel Is such dow at the ancient
and present policy of the people that
Legislation to that end would excite pub
lie amazement. The policy of the peoplle
is to keep the vessel safe but to facili-
tate her employment, and that 1t seems to
eb the popular view that any act or
amendment of the commerce act seek
ing to regulate one branch of the service
Uhe land carriers) should be kept free
from hurtful embarrassment to the other
class of service (the water routes ser
vice vastly more complicated than that
by land, and which Is admitted as the
bulwarli Of the people in reasonable rate
regulations more potent influence than
any administration of the law.
That whatever may be the wisdom in
the further regulation sought against the
land carriers. water routes should be lett |
untrammeed by artificial laws until the |
methids applied against the land carriers
pass beyond the experimental stage ana
that any laws touching water routes
should be considered separately ana when
all of the intricate problems surrounding
the merchant marine may pc fuiiE' iel-