The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-10-12
CAN SEE RU|NOF
COAST SHIPPING
lNALEXANDERB| BILL
American Shipowners, Show No
Enthusiasm 10 Admit ForeienF I
! Vessels 10 C6astWise Trade

4 & III. .
NEW. YORK, September 20--No on.
| thusiasm can ne bundi. am6nvs Atneti
can shipowners for the Alexander Bill.
which proposes to open the eoastyise
| shipping trade to vessels Of foreign
registry. In view. ,ofythe understand
| ing that the administration is be.
hind It, as 4 war measure IL is not
| likely that American shipowners will
organize any opposition. But that they
view the bill with the utmost dislike
and disfavor is nevertheless true.
| In some cases American shipowners
are not prepared to admit that any in.
crease Of efficiency can be secured by
the bill Even in the case Of foreign
vessel reaching an American port, dis
charging and proceeding to another
American port, it is contended that the
delay in taking on coastwise cargo,
| the low freight rates prevailing, the
| special construction of ocean vessels,
would outweigh any advantage that
might otherwise accrue. e.
| The fact that the Alexander Bill
| leaves it to the President to restrict
the operations of foreign vessels with
IN such limits and under sach provis.
ions as he shall, deem wise - has not
| apparently made 1t any more accept.
able to the coastwise shipping firms.
The latter are, accordingly, proposing
as an amendment that American coast.
wise traffic on the part of foreign ves-
sells be limited to specific voyages un.
Idertaken on specific permits
| What American shipowners appear TO
be chiefly afraid OF IS the continuance
into the after-war period of the condi.
tions. which the Alexander Bill would
create. Speaking yesterday to repre-.
sentative of the. journal Of Commerce,
Edgar +. 'Luckenbaeh, head of the
Luckenbach' steamship, Company, said:
In my opinion the opening Of our
coastwise trade to foreign vessels
would mean the tuination of American
shipping. 1t would mean that the for
eign vessels which had been admitted
to the flag would keep the privilege
of operating in the eoastwise trade az.
ter the war. 1t is the entering wedge
for which the conference lines have
been working for years. ia {, : %,
Charges Insniciency q lf,3 -,
1.-The war has been seized upon as
i golden opportunity by the conference
lines to get lot of vessls whitewnsh-
ed, given APsFes 4 req sry, then re
turned to a fofeigh flag under which
they can operate cheaply.
'our eoastwise ships were built for
the coastwise trade and the foreign
vessels have been built for totally
different trade. What is the eeonomy
for instance, in sending one Of the
Union Sulphur COmpany's vessels
across the Atlantic, as has just been
done, with q cargo of lumber, and then
taking one of the American Transat-
lantic Company's boats for the coast.
wise sulphur trade9''
There is an impression in many quar-
tiers that the object of the Administra.
ton is desiring to, have foreign YES
sells admitted to cOastwise shipping
!, was to establish reciprocal shipping
privileges between Canada and the
United States on the Great Lakes. The
Canadian government few months
ago took advantage of the standing
American tariff to establish free trade
in wheat between the two countries,
2 and while most of the Canadian wheat
imported into the United States under
e the new regime will probably go to
!. the Minneapolis mills, some of it will
fbe shipped to Buffalo or other Eastern
points.
g In any ease the grain shipping sea-
o son on the Great Lakes is just com
. mencing, and it will be at its height
! during the next ten or twelve weeks.
There will also be a large movement
IS of coal to the Northwest, as well as
d the ordinary ore movement down the
Lakes. All this will necessitate a con
/. siderable volume of tonnage at a time
when there is only the same amount
q of tonnage available as existed over q
4 year ago.
II Lake Vessels Removed
e 1t is estimated that sixty Lake yes.
e sells, aggregating some 10000 gross
n tons, have been taken from the Great
Is Lakes this year and that a further
- thirty vessels may still be brought
,s down to the Atlantic. But these with
drawals have just about been balanced
by new construction. However, with
!, the railroads oyeFtaxed and the move,
ment of grain likely to be heavier than
!, usual, it is probable that the resources
of Lake shipping may also be strained
n i justifying some reciprocal arrangement
!, between the Canadian and American
- governments with a view to the utmost
!. conseTvation of resources, o..
vi However, from statements made be
- fore the committee on merchant marine
= Iby R.fB, Stevens, Nice,chairman of tn,
N shipping Board, and, others durinl
hearings on the Alexander Bill, Il
would appearl,tbat the administration
y desires general application of thu
~ proposed changes. Mr.. Stevens men
- TONED the fact that from 100000 h
400 600 tons of neutral shipping wer,
u at present idle and suggested the EN-
= ployment of this tonnage in the coast
~ wise trade. Alfred Huger, admiralt,
Ut counsel to the Shipping Board, en-
deavored, to show how foreign vessel
le arriving at American southern ant
y, southeastern ports could prOGtably car
ry cotton or coal or other ,cargOes il
@ Atlantic Range cities! ,.% 1s,1' fSl
nnr In explanation of the present coast
% wise shipping situation the withdrawa
10 Of American vessels from the coast to
pn coast trade .oPfaacoqpt Of slides in th
&C. Panama Canal Is fftquehtly referre,
to. These slides stopped traffic 70
longer or shorter periods from tn
| ODeninO In Auyust 1914 dnUn IN Ser