The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-31
DETAILS OF THE NEW SHIPPING BILL ARE
 MADE PUBLIC; TO BE
 INTRODUCED TODAY
tContinued from Page one)

of the shipping board. There are some of the features of those clauses The shipping board and the inter- state commerce commission, acting jointly, could permit railroads to 1 make special rates for shipments in connection with steamships to encour- age interior points to participate in foreign trade.
 All common carriers, foreign and do- mestic, operating in American waters would be forced after January l, 1917, to obtain revocable licenses from the board
 No vessels registered or enrolled un- der the laws of the United States could be sold to a foreign country without permission from the board. Failure to observe that restriction would sub ject the vessel to refusal of clearance papers and the owner to charge of committing a misdemeanor.
 Vessels might be resold or leased only to other United States citizens and with the boards approval.
 Many are interested to know if the bill contains provision authorizing ownership and operation of merchant vessels by the government" Repre- sentative Alexander said tonight. Ut provides that the board may, if neces- sary, subscribe to and purchase the ma jority of the stock in a corporation and vote such stock and do all things necessary to protect the interest of the government and may at any time with the approval of the President sell such stock.
 Vessels owned by such corporation or corpora tions will be operated and their | tad 1yn hr1ci nf any other corporal tion, except that the government will retain control by majori- tty stock ownership. This method is sug- gested by the plan of ownership. con trol and operation of vessels by the Panama Railroad company, in which the government owns all the stock and which has been in operation for 10 or 12 years past I would make it plain, however. that the power would not in my opinion be exercised except as a last resort and then only to meet conditions that private concerns are not willing to meet or feel | that they are not able to meet and where the exegencies of our foreign trade de- l mand adequate ocean facilities. l "One of the most important provisions in the bill is contained in section g, which vests in the board plenary power to regu- 1 ate common carriers by water IS NOT MANDATORY 1 "It should be noted, however, that the exercise of such power is not made man. 1 datory and shall not be, as conditions Of l traffic by water are very different from those by rail, and it will take time and
 experience in administering the law te determine how far the power to regulate
 rates may be wisely exercised in ocear transportation and particularly in tho l foreign trade where American shipping will come in sharp competition with for | eign shipping.
 l "One of the most valuable provisions o l the bill is that which requires all com
 mon carriers by water, foreign as wei
 as American, to have a government license revocable if the provisions of tho act or the rules or regulations made bA the board pursuant thereto are violated This will be an effective method of en forcing compliance with the law.
 At the same time it will enable tht United States shipping board to proven
 unfair competition of foreign vessel: with American vessels, because through the power to revoke tho licenses of foreign vessels operatins in our Waters they can be prevente' from entering inso trusts or combina tions on the high seas which will bt hurtful to American shippers and tt l American ship owners.
 "The board is given power to mak'
 thorough study of our navigation law
 and into the organization and conduc
 and management of common carriers by water, and to make report to th
 President, who in turn will be enabled
 to make recommendations to Congres
 of needful legislation for the furthe