The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-02-06
AMERICAN LOST
HIS LIFE WHILE
ON A COLLIER
PRESIDENT FORBIDS
SALE OF SHIPS EX-
CEPT TO AMERICANS
Acts Under Law Creating National Ship
ping Board and Declares There Is a
National Emergency Arising
from Unsufficiency Of
Maritime Tonnage.

Washington, ID. c., Feb. 6.-Presiden
Wilson yesterday issued proclamation
under the authority of the recent ship
ping act prohibiting American ship own
ers from transferring their vessels tc
any other registry.
| The presidents proclamation follows
Whereas, Congress did by an act to
establish a United States shipping board
for the purpose of encouraging develop.
ing and creating an auxiliary and ma.
val reserve and a merchant marine to
meet the requirements of the commerce
of the United States with its territories
and possessions and with foreign coun-
tries; to regulate carriers by water en-
gagged in the foreign and interstate COM
| merce of the United States, and for 9TH
er purposes approved Sept I, 1915,
provide that during any national emer-
gency the existence of which is declared
by proclamation of the president no ves-
sci registered or enrolled and licensed
under the laws of the United States
shall without the approval of the board
be Sold leased or chartered to any per-
sonnel citizen of the United States or
transferred to a foreign registry or flag
And whereas many ship owners OF
the United States are permitting their
ships to pass to alien registers and to
foreign trade in which we do not par
ticipate and from which they cannot
be bought back to serve the needs of
our water borne commerce without the
permission of governments of foreign
nations.
"Now, therefore, /, Woodrow Wilson,
president of the United States of Amer
lea, acting under and by virtue of the
authority conferred in me by said act of
Congress, do hereby declare and proclaim
that | have found that there exists a
national emergency arising from the in
suffciency of maritime tonnage, to carry
the products of the farms, forests, mines
and manufacturing industries of the
United States to their consumers abroad
and within the United States and do
hereby admnnish all citizens of the
United States and every person to abb
stain from every violation of the pro.
visions of said act of Congress and |
do hereby warn ali citizens thai oil yio-
lations of such provisions. will be rig
orously prosecuted and | do hereby en-
join upon all officers of the United
States, charged with the execution Of
the laws thereof the utmost diligence
in preventing violation of said act and
this, by proclamation issued Hereunder,
and in bringing to trial and punishment |
any offenders against the some"
The proclamation, it was stated, was
not prompted by the international stu.
alton, but was suggested formally by |
the federal shipping board upon its or
ganization last week. Officials said it |
would have been issued earlier but for
the fear it might be confused with meas
lres taken in connection with the break
with Germany.
The order applies to ships already un-
Ter registry and not to those building.
Besides a large amount of American
that has gone to foreign owner.
ship recently much of that under con-
'truction in American yards is being
built for Scandinavian and other for
,ign capital. Statistics concerning this
is misleading, it is declared, as
many contracts that show American
,wnerships have changed hands, some
everal times gong from American ship
peculators finally to foreign buyers.