The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-02
FOREIGN INTERESTS WARNED

w aSntnSIOn, July It. w dIDlHS IOItiSI interests not to attempt interference win
 the development of the American mer- chant marine Chairman Benson of the
 shipping board declared today that the
 beard was determined to build up an
 American merchant marine as contem-
 plated by the Jones shipping act despite
 threats and propaganda by such interests
 to defeat the law.
 The United States" said Admiral Ben.
 son lis in earnest in it's effores to place
 within the ownership by United States citizens the control of at least a part of it's traffic in imports and exports 1T it should by any possible means be held that the departments of the government lack such authority as will insure their being able to protect American interests in such control additional authority w'll be asked by the administration and viii undoubtedly be granted by Congress. Foreign carriers and those in the United States interested more in foreign than American institutions will do well to let sleeping dogs lie
 Admiral Benson's warning was sounded in talk to representatives of Paciito coast chambers of commerce and trade bodies and American railroads who have been disturbed by threats of foreign car riers to divert business from American norts on the Pacific coast because of the l section of the merchant marine act per-
 hitting a preferential rate over carriers within the United States on merchandise moving in export and import in American vessels.
 THREATS ARE FUTILE 1 Such threat, the chairman said. is
 futile and idle. If such threat IS sincere and the attempt is made to so divert the business,' Admiral Benson continued, 'the shipping board will all | locate American ships to move the busi- ness. The shipping board and the in- 1 terstate commerce commission will fol- | low this action by other steps which would further protect the interests of I the United States agains such foreign eff forts to defeat the purposes of the mer-
 chant marine act.
 ] "Nothing could mere surely bring about the enforcement of this section | of the Jaw than adoption by foreign car riers of their threat to divert business | from American ports
 l JAS this section is to be used only where there is an ample American ton
 mage to handle the export and import
 commerce to any particular port in a l foreign country or a possession of the | United States, we cannot conceive how I anyone who has studied this law can
 assume that the shipping board would
 make any general application of this section. There will certainly be no en- 1 forcenient of the provision without con current action which will fully protect all American interests
 The transportation act has given the 1 in ,erstate commerce commission author l ty in emergency to direct traffic or establish embargoes against movements of freights. It also has authority to | estab abish minimum rates on any com
 modty moving subject to the interstate commerce act within the United States. 1 .'The commission is aware of the ne- cessity for preventing the distortng of traffic upon railroads of the United States such as would be accomplished ! by an effort by foreign carriers to di- vert the export and import traffic now moving between Pacific coast ports of
 the United States and the Orient either
 to British Columbia or to ports Of the | Atlantc
 1 Admiral Benson said that in the trans 1 Pacific trade at this time there seemed tp have been specific and successful eff | for. tp rrevent American vessels from I securr.-. returned cargoes at certain points while ships of other nations have
 come with full loads Application of the
 section of the merchant marine act pre- scribing preferential rates might be n- 1 voked he said, to require equal consid- eration in cargoes from such discrimi- l hating ports for United. States vessels l owned either by private citizens or by l the shipping board.