The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-19
SAYS BRITISH STRIVE
 TO HURT SOUTHERN PORTS

Washington, April K.-(SpeclaL)-Ihe sensational charge of Matthew Hale, president of the South Atlantic States Association that Great Britain is con ducting a propaganda having for it's ob-
 feet the destruction of South Atlantic and gulf ports, will be investigated if southern senators are able to carry their point
 Mir Hale has addressed his communi-
 cation to every senator whose state pos sesses a South Atlantic or gulf port. He
 representsf that Great Britain has joined the conspiracy of eastern trunk lines and
 commercial organizations of North Att
 lantic ports to divert middlewestern snip ments from the south to the end that new
 trade routes established as result ot war opportunities, may die for lack ot patronage.
 According to MT Hale one principal ef-
 fort being made by Great Britain has for l it's object the abandonment by the gov"
 ernment of it's merchant marine to the | end that in competition with Great bflt- ain, American bottoms operated by m | dividual capital could not produce
 profit.
 Mir Hale's communication to Senator l Underwood of Alabama follows:
 | ssDear Senator: On behalf of the Soutn l Atlantic States Association, composed or | over forty commercial bodies or Noltli 1 Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia ana ] Florida, l to something serious enough, Tn our i i,,de-ment to warrant prompt congress sional investigation. We refer to what seems to be definite British propasanoa Ia 1 designed to handicap the development oi | rev trade routes so necessary to tne
 mmercial~expansion of the middle wess, | the South Atlantic ports and the gun l norts First by attempting to bring | about the immediate forced sale Of our l goyernment-owned vessels, and secono | bv opposing the recent export rate re- vision which gives manufacturers ana shippers of the Mississippi valley freei access to foreign markets.
 "As you, know, the South Atidh'l' Atid
 states are now enjcying increased pros rerity due to the export freight rates recently established tby the railroad ad njnistration to- the South Atlantic ports These rates place southern ports, TOT sn' first time in their history, on parry with New York The great Ensllsi steamship lines do not relish the al version of traffic which results. Ap narentlv. with their approval, Delos W. Cooke. associate director of the Brltlsi Cunard lines second in command to oi Ashley sparks has joined With him som ] of the more selfisN and less proau minded shipping and railroad lnteres, \ of the North Atlantic, ana is as.,N VI -. l striving to obtain the. cancellation or thes yates The fact that certain commercls organizations in various North Atiantl ports have been induced by misrepressn, ., ! tation of the facts to cooperate sho''' not disguise from us the essentai pi' British character of this activl,y. ao, K .erhe effrontery of these forces uo' not ston here At the same time they a
 asitating for the cancellation Of e re,.t rates to South Atlantic ports, n served by their steamship lines, they a vocate the continuance or slmliar ,sl, eApo
 rates to Halifax, British port wnlch N served by their lines. They ask m su
 stance that export freight from the m ml \ ale west be hauled to Halifax at @ pra \ tical,v the same rate as to New or W \ although Halifax is obviously mucn a,' r' \ tier from the middle west 'hah oui S
 Atlantic or gulf ports. ..,.,, aIn regard to the British a.lieu rrard the American merchant marii
 \ Tord Inchcape disclosed the dehnlte
 \ terest which British shipping nrms ha