The Washington herald., 1914-08-18
COAST TRADE
Wins VICTORY
Senate Votes House Shipping
Bill, Defeating Confer
ence Report.
BARS FOREIGN VESSELS
Measure. Opening Doors to Over Seas
Trade. Undoubtedly Will Go
to President.

Rspresenta atives Of the coastwise ship.
ping of the United States bore down upor
Washington Saturday night and by dint
Of perseverance in the race OF what ap'
peared to be certain defeat snatched q
victory from the Senate yesterday by de-
feating the conference report on the shiT
registry bill.
The bill as it was presented by Senator
O'Gorman from the conference commit
tee was rejected by the Senate. 40 to 20
Immediately the Senator from New York
moved to instruct the Senate conferees tc
recede from the Senate amendments to
the bill which the Senate had just dis.
approved and to concur in the House
bill This was accepted by the same rel.
ative vote that the former proposal had
been rejected.
The House undoubtedly will accept its
own product and discharge its conferees
which will take the bill to the President
Under the terms Of the House bill the
foreign-built ships admitted to registry
in the United States will not be entitled
TO enter the coastwise trade of the
United States. The House bill amends
the Panama Canal act which admits q
registry foreign-built ships that have
been built within FIVE years. The bill ac-
eepted yesterday removes the fve-year
built ships to American registry for the
overseas trade The House bill also
authorizes the President. in his discre-
ton, when the needs Of domestic COM
merce, in his judgment, require it, to
suspend the navigation laws Of the
United States in 30 far as they require
oficers of the foreign-built ships shall
be American citizens, and to waive the
requirement for survey. measurement
and inspection by American officers.
Senator O'Gorman chided the Demo-
Gratis who had opposed him on the Pan
ANA Canal tolls matter for their alleged
inconsistency in voting against the
"coastwise shipping monopoly then, and
then voting for it now.
Vote on the Measure.
The vote on the adoption Of the House
bill was as follows:
For the House bill-Democrats: Ashurst
Bryan, Camden. Chiffon, Hitchcock,
Hughes. James. johnson. Kern, Lea
CTennesseel, Lewis, Martin. o'Gormsn,
Overman, Ransdell, Shafroth. Sheppard.
Shively. Simmons, Smith Maryland).
Stone, Swanson, Thompson, Thornton,
TiIlman, Vardaman, West and Williams.
Republicans: Burleigh, Burton, Colt,
Dillingham;, Fail, Gallinger, McCumber,
Nelson, Penrose. Perkins, Sterling and
Weeks.
Against the House biIl-Democrats:
Bankhead, Lane, Lee CMaryland), Mar
tine Pittman, PomeTene Salisbury,
Walsh and White. Republicans: Borah,
Bristow. Clapp, Clark CWyoming), Cum
minis, Gronna, Jones, Lippett, Norris,
Poindexter and smoot.
Immediately following the acceptance OF
the House bill, Senator Burton called up
and passed without objection a resolu-
ticn authorizing the President, in his dis
cretion, TO permit American registry to
be conferred on any vessels acquired and
used by the American Red Cross during
the continuance of the war in Europe.
The bill takes effect Immediately on
its passage and approval by the Presi-
dent, and 1t is expected a large number
Of vessels will be admitted to American
registry within the next day or two. 1t
is likely that many Of the large German
vessels now tied up in American ports
win be acquired by American corpora
tons and admitted to American registry,
among them the Kronprinzessin Cscilie
and the Vaterland.