Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-11-12
NEW NAVIGATION LAWS
URGED BY TRADE COUNCIL
REMOVAL OF INEQUALITIES AND
INJUSTICES OF EXISTING LAWS
SOUGHT TO BE ACCOMPLISHED
BEFORE WAR ENDS.

former high position among the
worlds shipping are urged by the
National Foreign Trade Council to CO.
operate with the United States Ship
ping Board in a effort to revise the
navigation laws so as to lift the
handicap from American vessels.
THE removal of all Inequalities
and injustices from the American
navigation system, enabling American
shipping to maintain itself upon an
equitably competitive basis with 9TH
er nations with due regard to Ameri-
can standards of living and compen-
eation, is absolutely essential to the
permanency of the forthcoming re-
Mobilization of the American mer-
chant marine" asserts the Foreign
Trade Council in report and res0-
luton it will submit today to the
shipping board
The Council urges :all who are
interested in insuring the permanent
restoration of the American flag to
the recognized place it formerly held
in the carrying trade of the world,
generously to cooperate with the
United States Shipping Board for the
purpose of securing the necessary re-
vision and amendment of the navl-
cation laws in time to bender effect
i've service in the operation of the
new American fleet"
Accompanying the resolution is 2
report prepared by the Councils conf
mittee on Merchant Marine, and sign
ed by James A. Farrell, chairman of
the Council and president of the
United States Steel Corporation, and
A. S. Franklin, president of the In
ternational Mercantile Marine Com
pany. Edward n Hurley, chairman
OF the shipping board, is member
OF the council
The report shows that the program
of the shipping board covers the con-
struction and other acquisition of
1890 vessels of a total dead weight
tonnage of nearly 14,000,000 tons.
The committee points out that the
experience of Great Britain has prov
ed that less than sixty per cent Of
British foreign trade is carried in
British bottoms.
If the carriage of sixty per cent
of American foreign trade in Ameri-
can Ships says the committee,
would render the United States rea-
sonably free from the necessity OF
employing a foreign merchant ma
rine for its carrying trade, the pro-
gram of the shipping board and emer-
gency fleet corporation at present
under execution would accomplish the
desired result.
In 1915" continues the report,
"1,781,543 tons of American shipping
carried one-seventh, 143 per cent, OF
the total foreign commerce of the
United States. On this basis a feet
Of 13,100,801 tons would have been
required for the transportation of tue
entire foreign commerce of the coun-
try. But on the basis of British eX-
.perience, an American fleet of 1885,
600 tons would do the proportion OF
carrying of American foreign trade
that naturally would fall to American
ships The present American pro
Gram, that is calculated to produce
an aggregate of nearly fourteen nil
lion tons Of shipping within cv7o
years, will furnish on this basis of
estimating ample provision for the
carriage of the normal sixty per cent
American bottoms, with liberal sur
Plus of American shipping for partic-
ipa:ion in the carrying trade of tn,
rest of the world
The report calls attention to til,
fact that six months after the proc
lamation Of peace the emergenc-
powers delegated to the Presiden