The Alaska daily empire., 1919-08-13
STEAMSHIP MEN PROPOSE PLAN
 FOR SHIPPING
American Transportation Men Prepare Plan For Disposal of Govern-
 ment Built Vessels

Plans for the disposal and opera ton of government merchant ships and for the regulation Of American ship yards have been prepared by the Pacific American Steamship As sociation, an organization of com tpanies operating American steamships on thc Pacific ocean to which both the Pacific Steamship Company and the Alaskr Steamship 2 Company be long The plans are as follows:
 1. SEipvards should be released promptly fro2 government; supervi- sion al permitted to accept any or dels obtainabie, either foreign or domestic.
 :. Shipping Beard snorld cease building merchant ships when pres ent contracts are completed
 g. Shipping Board should sell all of their wooden ships to either Am ericans or foreigners at the best price obtainable
 4. Shipping Board should offer their steel ships for sale to Ameri- can citizens at the worlds market price, giving due consideration to competitive conditions The great number of Shipping Board boats should not be dumped on the market at one time and the prices should not be cut or allowed to fall below the building prices of foreign yards
 3. In the meantime. pending sale of vessels they should be chartered to American citizens at market char ter rates obtainable in the different trades, thus making it possible for charterers to use American tonnage on equal charter rates with foreign tonnage.
 6. Entire freedom of action should be extended to private owners and charterers in choosing routes and fixing rates of freight and passage in competition with foreign tonnage and supply and demand upon particu- lar routes.
 z Provision should be made so that shipowners would have assur ance from the government that it would not itself operate other ton mage for it's own account on same routes on which private owners or charterers are operating adequate service to take care of the require ments of the trade.
 8. The present operators and man ager's plan should be continued upon unremunerative routes or upon new routes desirable for extention of for eign trade until such time as those I h,,il tn " vate owners and operators are willing to buy or charter American vessels for that service.
 9. All coastwise trade should be restricted to American owned and American built vessels.
 10. American steamship companies should be required to obtain char ter from federal government, which shall exercise close supervision over their capitalization, stock issues and bonded indebtedness. A statute should be enacted revising the mort gage law so as to constitute mort gage the first lien on the ship, sub feet only to liens for salvages, gen eral average and the wages of sea men, thus making mortgages attrac. tive to investors.
 Il. The compensation for carrying mail in American bottoms should be increased in order to encourage the establishment of mail carrying lines; such compensation to be adapted to speeds economically practicable in the various trades.
 12 Fuel depots, both oil and coal should be established upon the var ous trade routes, such depots to be owned or controlled by American in terests.
 13 All jurisdiction of municipal state, or territorial supervision or control over vessels in foreign trade should be eliminated.
 IA. Shipping Board recruiting ser vice should be continued on a basis which will assure shipowners and adequate supply of officers and sea men.
 15. Carriage on all vessels, govern ment or private, in foreign trade or cadets or apprentices both in the en- zine room and on deck should be compulsory and graduated wages should be fixed.
 16 The length of service required 10 obtain an able seaman's certificate should be reduced and all applicants should be required to pass an exam nation before receiving certificates.
 r. A naval reserve should be created whereby the navy will pay graduated retainer to all officers and men on deck or in the engine room.
 IS. Measurement for tonnage should be revised to correspond with Brit lsh rules in order to equalize charges based upon tonnage throughout the world.
 19 United States Steamboat In. spection rules for boilers, machinery and hulls, also for deck and life sav- ing equipment, should be revised along the line of British inspection rules.
 % United States coasting laws ,hould he extended to all Anne