Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-08-19

road owned ships from using the
/ canal.
House Bill Modified.
The broad terms of the origina!
House bill, which would have required
! every railroad in the country to dis
pose at once of any steamship lines
| with. which it might otherwise com.
pete, were not accepted by the sen-
ate. This was modified so that rail-
roads would be prohibited only from
owning steamship lines that may oper-
ate through the Panama canal
The Bourne amendment, however.
adopted later by vote of sc to 25,
restored much of the vigor Of the anti
railroad provisions of TIE house bin
1t provided that if the interstate COM
merce commission should find that
any railroad had IAN interest in a COM
petitive line of steamers and that such
interest was injurious to the welfare
o; the public, the commission might
compel the railroad to dispose OF its
steamer connections.
Senator Brandegee, chairman of the
inter-oceanic canals committee of the
senate, made an ineffective fight on
the rigid provisions against railroad
ships. After thesarn endmeht had been
adopted to the house bill be moved
that the whole paragraph relating to
railroad control sbe stricken out. This
1nption was defeated, Is tos1s. A sub
segment proposal by ARR Brandegee, to
permit any ships to use the canal. Civ
ing toS the, interstate commerce COM
mission power dr. control over them,
also was defeated =
The Reed amendment, against trust
owned ships was called up for Sec
ond vote before, the bill passed, and
was adopted on final passage by vote
Il sc to %.
The completed canal bill finally was
pas sed, with Senators Burton. Crane,
Gallinger, Lodge, Root and other OBJ
ponents of the free toll and anti-rail-
road features. voting against it.
Registry Provision Added.
q. In the form in which it returns to
the house the bill adds to the general
scheme for operating and governing
the Panama canal. provisions for the
admission of American registry of any
foreign built ships owned by Ameri-
CduS, prov dl z OpSl dICu
ly in the foreign trade.
No debate was allowed today, under
The agreement made Yesterday, on the
amendments offered by Senators
Bourne and Reed Following the adop-
ton of the latter amendment Senator
Fall introduced a factious provision
requiring the canal authorities to hold
UP all ships and search them for trust
made goods. If any such should be
found. it was provided that the vessel
should be held while the case was
tried in court On the vote Senator
Fall deserted his own amendment ana
it received no support.
Treaty Violation Alleged.
Senator Brandegee, closing the de-
bate, insisted that the provisions Of
the senate bill admitting American
vessels engaged in the foreign trade
to free passage in the canal was an
violation Of the Hay
Pauncefote treaty with Great Britain.
He opposed also the Williams
admitting American own
ed foreign built vessels to American
registry, provided they did not engage
in coastwise trade.
"It has been proposed that this
would help build up the American
merchant marine" he said. To nv
mind it would be a humiliating spect-
aCle for Americans to see ships travel
ing around the world under the Ameri-
can flag, with the label built in Ger
many attached to them.