The Arvada enterprise. (Arvada, Colo.) 1908-1970, 1920-07-08
CHAIRMAN BENSON SERVES NO.
1,cE AMERICAN BOARD WILL
FIGHT FOR JONES ACT.
.U.S.P0R7S Threatened
,n7sss1A1E COMMERCE coMMis.
SION HAS AMPLE AUTHORITY
TO HANDLE SITUATION.
western Newspaper Union News Service.

w
Washington, July 2.-Warning for
eign interests not to attempt to inter-
fere with the development OF the Amer
lean merchant marine, Chairman Ben
son of the shipping board declared that
the board was determined to build up
nm American merchant marine as con-
by the Jones shipping act,
despite threats and propaganda by
such interests to defeat the law.
"rhe United States" said Admiral
Benson, "is in earnest In Its efforts
to place within the ownership by
United States citizens the control OF
at least Il part Of its traffic In I'M
ports and exports. If it should by any
possible means be held that the de-
partments of the government lack such
authority as will insure their being
able to protect American interests In
such control, additional authority Will
be asked by the administration and
will undoubtedly be granted by Con-
gress.
Foreign carriers and those In the
United States interested more In the
foreign than American institutions
will do well to let sleeping dogs lie
Admiral Benson's warning was
founded in talk to representatives OF
Pacific coast chambers Of commerce
and trade bodies and American rail-
way representatives, which have been
disturbed by threats to divert trade
from points on the Pacific coast be-
cause Of the section Of the merchant
marine act permitting preferential
rate over foreign carriers within the
United States on merchandise moving
In export and import In American yes
sells.
Such q threat, the chairman said, us
futile and idle"
III such q threat IL sincere and the
attempt 10 made to 10 divert the busi-
ness" Admiral Benson continued, 1.-THE
shipping board will allocate American
ships to move the business. The ship
ping board and the Interstate Com
merce Commission will follow this &C.
ton by other steps which would fur
Their protect the interests Of the United
States against such foreign efforts to
defeat the purpose Of the merchant
marine act.
Nothing could more surely bring
about the enforcement Of this section
Of the law than adoption by foreign
carriers Of their threat to divert bust.
ness from American ports.
As this section II to be used only
where there Is an ample American ton
mage to handle the export and import
commerce to any particular port In q
foreign country or . possession Of the
United States, we cannot conceive how
anyone who has studied this law car
assume that the shipping board would
make any general application Of THU
section. There will certainly b NJ
enforcement Of the provisioa without
concurrent action which will fully pro
tect all American interests.
'"The transportation act has givsa b
the Interstate Commerce Co0mlssaos
authority 10 'emsrgencies' to direc
traffic or establish smbargoss agains
movements Of freight. 1t aioe has 90
thority to establish minimum rates Of
any commodity moving subject to tn,
Interstate Commerce act within tn,
United States.
'The commission IL aware Of the ne
cessity for preventing the distorting o
traffic upon the railroads Of the Unite,
States such ~ would BE- accomplishs,
by an effort by foreign carriers to d.
vert the export aud import traffic nov
moving between Pacific coast ports o
the United States and the Orient siths
to British Columbia or to ports Of tn
Atlantic"