Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-04-17

WORKING AGAINST
SOUTHERN PORTS
(The Atlanta Journal News Bureau)
623 Riggs Building.
BY THEODORE TLLLER

WASHINGTON, April &16.-Direct-
ing attention to an alleged British
propaganda for the sale Of ships be-
longing to the American merchant
marine, Matthew Hale, formerly of
Wilmington, and president of the re-
Gently organized South Atlantic
States association, has written the
senator's of North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia and Florida, sug-
costing congressional inquiry.
Mr.. Hale says there are evidences
of an organized effort by alien in
terests to check development of new
trade routes through cancellation of
certain export rates. as well as
through bringing about sale of the
goyernment5owa lraeachant marine.
He asserts that certain Britishers
have joined in the efforts of" the
northern trunk line railroads in this
country to disturb export rates
through South Atlantic ports grant
ed by the railroad administration.
Mr. Nale's Letter
AS head of the South Atlantic
States association, which Mr.. Hale
says represents forty trade bodies
in the four states named and was
formed following the trade confer
ence at Greensboro, N. c., Mr.. Hale
sent a letter to the senators from
the four states, saying in part:
I'VE wish to call your attention
to something serious enough in our
! judgment to warrant prompt con-
gresSional investigation. We refer
to what seems to be definite British
propaganda designed to handicap the
development of our new trade routes
so necessary to the commercial ex-
pansion of the middle west, the South
Atlantic ports and the Gulf ports:
First, by attempting to bring about
the immediate forced sale of our
government-oWned vessels; and sec
ond, by opposing the recent export
rate revision which gives manufac-
| turers and shippers of the MISSISSIPPI
pi valley freer access to foreign mar
kets.
"As you know, the south Atlantic
states are now. enjoying increased
prosperity due to the export freight
| rates recently established by the
railroad administration to the south
| Atlantic ports. These rates place
southern ports, for the first time in
their history, on a parity with New
York. The great English steamship
| lines do not relish the diversion of
| traffic which results. Apparently,
with their approval, DelOS w. Cooke,
associate director of the British
Cunard lines, second in command to
| A-l@I so,,1r. 80, 81
| him some of the more selfish and less
| predetermined shipping and railroad
| interests Of the north Atlantic, and
| is actively striving to obtain the can
collation. of these rates. The fact
! that certain commercial organizations
| i'll various north Atlantic ports have
been induced by this representation
of the facts to cooperation should
not disguise from US the essential
pro-British character of this activity.
| The effrontery Of these forces
! does not stop here. At the same time
| they are agitators for the cancella-
| ton of export rates to south Atlantic
| ports, not served by their steamship
| lines, they advocate the continuance
| of similar export rates to Halifax, a
| British port. which is served by their
| lines. They ask, in substance, that
export freight from the middle west
be hauled to Halifax at practically
| the same rate as to New York, al
! though Halifax is obviously much
| farther from the middle west than
our south Atlantic or gulf ports.
The British Attitude
| I'm regard to the British attitude
! toward the American merchant ma
rine, Lord Inchcape disclosed the def
! mite interest which British shipping
! firms have in the precipitate dissolu-
ton of our huge new merchant fleet
He :. . said i; r,,,.+oa c+o+os oo,,ornn,an+
will only turn the ships in which the
United States shipping board is in
terested over to private owners and
leave the owners to compete with
am not afraid, but if the government,
on the other side of the Atlantic, is
out to tax the people to build up a
mercantile marine at all costs. the
outlook for the shipping industry of
| these islands is anything but rosy.
| am hopeful, however, that the gov
eminent of the United States will
leave the shipping industry Of the
world, including their own, to look
after ITSELF
1.-The agitation for the immediate
sale of our merchant marine started
from big New York shipping compa-
MES, which formerly operated to a
large extent under the British flag, or
were financially allied to British
shipping interests. Their aims are,
perhaps, naturally, in complete &C
cord with Lord Inchcape's wish that
the huge fleet owned by the govern
ment be broken up into smaller units
under private control, with which
competition is easy"