The Alaska daily empire., 1920-09-30

The Empire holds brief for Senator Jones of Washington for the Jones Act It was the first newspaper in Alaska to sound note of protest against the. effort to force the Canadian steamship lines out of business in Alaska. It believes that Delegate Grigsby properly representing the best interests of his constituents when he tried to get the Senate and House to eliminate Alaska from the pro- vision that freight originating in an American point, carried through foreign territory foreign rail road, be carried from the foreign terminal to an American port American ship. It is heartily in of any step that might be taken to get that law modified so that this provision may not apply to Alaska. However, Alaskans must not fool them selves believing that this will be easy matter to bring about.
 The Jones Act is not directed particularly to the situation in Alaska. It was not special bill pre- pared to meet conditions in this Territory. It was general bill, dealing with the whole American mer ohant:. marine problem. It prepared by the committees of the Senate and House having control of this character of legislation and is the declared policy of the Republican majority in the Senate and House of Representatives It's purposes are set forth in the title of the Act, and in the first section wherein the declaration of American merchant marine policy is presented The Act is entitled:
 An Act provide for the promotion and
 Maintenance of the American merchant
 marine, repeal certain emergency legis-
 latioh, and provide for the disposition, regu4
 lation, and of property acquired there
 under, and for other purposes
 The declared policy of the measure is set forth in theF first section of the Act in these words:
 That it is necessary for the national de-
 fense and for the proper growth of it's
 foreign and domestic commerce that the
 United States shall have merchant marine
 of the best equipped and most suitable types
 vessels sufficient carry the greater
 portion of its commerce and
 naval military auxiliary in time of
 national emergency, ultimately to be owned
 and operated privately by citizens of the
 United States; and is hereby declared to
 be the policy of the United States to do
 whatever it may be necessary to develop md
 encourage the maintenance of such a mer-
 chant marine, and, in far may be not
 inconsistent with the express provisions of
 this Act, the United States Shipping Board
 shall in the disposition Of vessels and ship
 ping property hereinafter provided, in
 making of rules and regulations, and in the
 administration of the shipping laws, keep
 always in view this purpose and object as
 the primary end to be obtained"
 In other words the United States found herself the end of the for the first time in three score of years in possession of a merchant marine and size has declared it be her purpose to retain and increase that merchant marine and give it al the work to do that is possible The bill is composed 39 sections and all phases of the merchant marine situation. Section 27 provides that all traffic originates in the United States transportation elsewhere in the United States shall be treated a. American coastwise trade insofar is transported by water The purpose of course, is to reserve coastwise trade for American shipping. This has been the policy of the United States for than century IL in 1917 that the present coast wiso laws of the United States enacted. That Wa. the development of railroads and traffic tha' is part rail and part water. Section 27 is designed 10 make the coaswise laws consistent that therc cannot be combination of foreign railroads and foreign shipping to avoid the principles of the cen tury old coastwse laws of the country.
 Judge Wckershan has tried poosyfoot and whisper this Jones Act into Alaska politics and i has been represented that this Section 27 applies only to Alaska That is not true It is applicable tC all parts of the country, and to the ships of al nations well those of Canada The fact is tha Alaska traffic Is a very small percentage of the traffic effected by it. Ships of many nations have engaged in the traffic between Halifax and other Eastern Canadian terminals and the American Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and that has been true as regards Vancouver and American Pacific porls Ships many nations have carried American good. and the terminals of the Nicarasuan railroad The principle of Section 27 Of the Jones Act i directly in accord with the principles of the Amer ican and Canadian coastwise laws. There specia reasons, however why believe Alaska should b. exempted from the principle and they were set tort by Delegate Grgsby in his brief to Congress