The Washington herald., 1921-10-16


have been in progress for some time past
with English maritime concerns over the
question OF the distribution OF the tonnage from the
port of Alexandra, Egypt. ''.'
American shipping companies underbid the Eng
fish concerns for the carrying Of cotton from that
port TO ports in the United States and Europe Eng
lish influences, however, were worked to the aetIr
ment OF the Americans who, despite the lower BIDS
found that English firms were allotted the business
As result of direct negotiations of the Shipping
Board with the liners principals in England the
latter offered relinqush to American bottoms 50
per cent of the direct saings between Alexandra
and the United States stating that it was not posi-
bic for the liners to make any arrangements with re-
gard to the indirect traffic. that is cotton moving to
the States with trans-shipment at an English port
claiming that this matter OF negotiation be-
tween American Atlantic steamers and the At
lantic westbound conference The agreement was 10
run for a period OF five years.
Our reasons for declining this Offer said the
Shipping Board that the offer contemplated
giving 50 per cent OF the SaIlngS but did not
guarantee to so per cent OF the cotton and seeing
that contracts in existence between the British
conference and the cotton shippers for the season
1oaI-2a and further seeing that there an nsur-
ance disability against American steamers, we were
not at all satisfied that so per cent OF the saihngs
would in any way mean to us 50 per cent OF the ton
mage we being further advised that the principal own
er of one of the British lines very large stock
holder or connected through subsidiary companies
with the cotton presses and gins in Alexandra 1t
was also learned that much of the banking necessary
in connection with the movement OF this valuable
eroo was in the hands of financial institutions afhl
ated with British institutions Of similar Character.
XNyYITH respect to the indirect movement, the
w bulk of this business through
rate, and seeing that number of lines carrying this
cotton from Alexandria the United Kingdom also
control lines from the United Kingdom to the United
States, we felt it hardly possible for American
boats trading of Liverpool to get anywhere near
a fair proportion Of this traffic.
The 6ve-year proposal likewise was disasteful to
us for the reason that it entsied absolute COM
mitment on the part Of the Shipping Board Of char
acter that we felt indsposed to enter into, seeing that
heretofore the negotiations for the movement OF the
Epyptian cotton crop as between the British confer
ence and the shippers of yearly character,
simply covering a crop-year movement
The existing contracts entered into Tor the cur
rent movement between the British conference and
the association OF shippers specifically provides that
no cotton shall move either direct indirect to the
United States in other than British bottoms.
Another point in this controversy is that accord
ing to long custom bids put in every year by the
British conference during the spring OF each year TO
the Alexandria General Produce Association Tor the
movement for the crop year beginning the following
September The bids that put in by the Ship
ping Board were materially lower than those put in
BY the British conference and yet for reasons still
unexplained to u.s. our bids thrown out and
new bids called for from the British liners without
our knowledge, and when these scond figures were