The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-29
CRITICIZE EXISTING
 LAWS ON SHIPPING Removal of Government Handicap Not Aid Needed ASK FOR MODIFICATION
Fairfax Harrison Advocates Permit ting Railroads to Give Preferential Rates on Foreign Shipping Before
 the Foreign Trade Convention

New Orleans, January 2S-Criticism of existing laws relating to American shipping. the tariff, the railroads and "big business" and of the proposition for a government-owned mercnant feet for foreign trad was voi ad by nuner- ous speakers here at todays session of the third national foreign trade con- vention and at the convention banquet tonight Men prominent in the various interests concerned in export trade from all parts of the country participated in the discussions.
 Speakers at the banquet sincluded Fairfax Harrison, president of the Southern railway; Frank A. vanderlip, President of the National City bank, New York; and Joseph F. Davies, chair man of the federal trade commission.
 NOT AID NEEDED
 MT. Vanderlip declared that the United States ''did not need govern ernmental handicaps" to succeed in world trade. In enumerating' the "han- dicaps'' he said:
 "We shall have the handicap In the extension of foreign trade of a. govern ment so devoted to peace that justice to it's citizens in foreign countries weighs but scantily in the balance against the advantages or peace for it's people at home" MT. Vanderlip charac- terized some of the laws governing shipping and commercial combinations as foolish legislation, uneconomic and unnecessarily restrictive"
 A plea for such modification of gov ernment regulations affecting the rail- roads as would permit them to give the fullest aid to development of foreign trade, by making lower rates on ex- port than on domestic traffic, was made by MT. Harrison.
 MT Davies asserted that co-operation among American manufacturers, banks. business men and other interests was necessary to insure success in Ameri- cas- overseas commerce.
 The sentiment in the general group sessions late today, judging from the expressions of the speakers. appeared to be almost unanimous against the es- tablishment of a government owned merchant marine. The seamen's (act was vigorously condemned as unjust to American ship owners and many dele gates declared that American shipping was so "surrounded with unreasonable legislative restrictions that those en- gagged in it were forced to the hopeless task of trying to compete with ship owners of other countries operating un- der vastly more favorable conditions" OPPOSES GOVERNMENT MARINE
 Capt. Robert Dollar of San Francisco led the opposition to government merchant marine and launched the criti- cism of laws and regulations governing the operations of American owned ves- sels. Edwin F. Sweet, Assistant Secretary of Commerce. advocated the building by the government of an auxiliary fleet, to be leased to private enterprise in times of peace
 "Whether the relation of the Ameri- can railroads to foreign trade after the European war is to be substantially diff ferent from what it was before and during the war, depends upon substan- tial progress in developing American policy with respect to export trade gem erally," MT. Harrison declared in his address. "If the United States is to en- ter broadly into competition with other countries for worldwide trade, the railroads must be allowed to make spe- cial rates on export traffic lower than on domestic traffic, without their be- ing charged with and penalized for discrimination against domestic traf- fic The railroads are ready and will ing to make such rates.
 "To' enable the railroads to be of the
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