Evening star., 1915-02-04

MADUU UPHULUS,
BURTON ASSA|LS
Continued from First Page.)
would be nothing but 'greenbacks" If
Produces Letters.
The convention manifested the great
est interest when Mr.. McAdoo produced
file of documents and read some Of
the letters that have come from big
business firms. individuals and corpo-
rations all over the country, protesting g
to the government against the made
quacy Of shipping facilities and what
were called extortionate freight rates
demanded by ocean-carrying compa-
nies. One of these big companies. en-
gagged in the steel and iron business.
he described as one of 1.-The trusts"
Even the trusts, he declared, are
asking the government for help"
He read one letter from a San Fran
cisco firm. which complained that 1t
the way to Holland, for which they
could not get shipping space in ocean
steamers. rate of 100 shillings per
2.240 pounds, he said was being de-
manded Of this company. against rate
of 46 shillings before the war.
In many cases. Mr.. McAdoo said, the
steamship companies are paying no at
tention whatever to their previous en-
gagements made W tn shippers. This
caused him to declare that many Amer
X
ing 1t, because of the war.
Higher Tobacco Rates.
He read a letter from a leaf tobacco
handling association in Baltimore pro-
testing against freight rates being ex-
acted on hogsheads of tobacco. The
rates on these tobacco hogaheads. the
complaint said. were $3.50 each before
the war: since then they have become
successivel" S5 25, then $625, and they
are now $3.50.
coal, COKE. iron and steel concerns In
Philadelphia relating to the oppor-
tunity to export coal to South America.
They have the orders, but declare 1t Is
impossible to get vessels In which to
ship Another letter came from a Bos-
ton concern who declared 1t was un-
able to ship wool to South America for
the want of vessels. although. it said,
1t had S6oo.ooo worth or oroers PAID
for
Another came from Rochester IN. "
concern, complaining of the extortionate
! freight rates. as they were described. on
fresh apples in barrels. which have be-
come so high as to now equal the value
Of the apples and be prohibitive. SO that
the export is ceasing. A Newark IN. j.
concern complained of being unable to
continue to ship freight to Italy. Fifty
shillings a ton was asked this concern
before the war. and now. It was declared,
12O shillings per ton is being exacted. A
! moving and reaping machine company.
also characterized by Mr. McAdoo as
being Sin the trust" also asked the gov
ernment for help
War Risk Insurance.
Mr.. McAdoo cited the war risk .in-
surance bureau of the United States gov
ernment as governmental activity that
Rad worked well. and demanded why that
could not be regarded as a fair sample
Of what the government could do If the
ship purchase bill were passed. He said
| these rates were one-eighth of per cent.
very low figure, and that that business
"is the very privatest kind of a private
business" He wondered what the rates
would be if the Insurance were being
done by private companies.
Continuing, Mr. McAdoo said:
Il am not here to appeal for a place
on the shipping board. That Is the last
thing 1 want. myself. and when l speak
| of the Secretary of the Treasury + am
not speaking of myself but of the Of
flee and of the duties that devolve upon
| 1t, and of the appropriateness of any
| enterprise Of this character: that these
| two men. these two government Of
rials Ghargsa erscdn With t gr1at
| ping lstarcsts of this country. should
| be upon tnat hoard.
"In the first place. the Secretary OF
! Commerce has charge of all the light
| houses in this country: he has charge
| of all the lighthouse tender service OF
| this country. running fleet OF ves-
! sells in connection with that service
| and he is bound to know something
| about the shipping business He comes
! intimately in connection with 1t at va
| rious points of the compass. SO te
| speak
/ Must Know Shipping Business.
9Th. Secretary of the Treasury. in the
command and direction of that splendid
feet of forty-eour vessels, whose value
in the aggregate is as large as that OF
many of the ,reat fleets of the world
mean In the intrinsic value of the
aeet-and greater than any of them In
the service that 1t performs. must have
a knowledge In very considerable de.
1with tn Secretary OF Commerce. en-
forces the navigation laws of this
country He. in connection with the
Secretary of Commerce, deals with
every ships manifest that is filed in
tbfs country And l might go on and
enmmerate the manifold points a,
which these two great departments
come into intimate an1 close touch with
tba uerchant marine of all the nations
in the world. making 1t necessary both
for the heads Of these departments and
for the.r STATS to come into intimate
connection and relationship with the
sbinnine interests of all the nations
that have intercourse with the United
| states of America.
Revenue Cutter Service.
.1 should like to say this about the
revenue cutter service. and this is
very apropos of the objections. too
that have been made to this bill that
the government may make a loss If II
goes into the shipping business-that ]
do not think that statement Is accu-
rate do not think the government
| VIII MIX, toS.-- If IL. into th.