The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-01-20
United States Chamber of CON-
merce Involved in Campaign,
Senator Jones Says.
PACT WITH ENGLAND Barred
American Corporation Has Sign
ed Agreement to Protect
Britain, Senator Charges.
BY DAVID N. CHURCH,
international News Service.

Great Britain is not only using
her own efforts to destroy the
American merchant marine, but she
is enlisting American interests in
such a campaign, Senator Wesley j..
Jones, Republican, of Washington,
charged here today in an address
before the National Merchant Ma
rine Association.
In the face of these charges, Ad
miral w. S. Benson, chairman of
the United States Shipping Board,
announced the firm policy to pro-
ceed as charged by the law of the
| land to establish a permanent mei
chant marine"
I IN PACT WITH BRITISH.
! Mind you. gentlemen, the law au-
thorizes a permanent merchant ms-
rine under the American flag" Al
4 miral Benson declared. ~ ,..
The Internal ional Mercantile Ma
| rine Company, an American orgar
| "a tion, owner Of the IAmericar ,t,Is -
| steamships. has entered into tVer
ty-year written. agreement thf
British admiralty to purss1 no
| policy injurious to the British mer-
A r
Senator Jones declared.
| Under the terms of this agreement
| the lord high chancellor Of Great
Britain is to act as arbiter In any
dispute between the American com
pany and the British admiralty, the
| Senator said.
The United States Chamber Of Com
merce and it's magazine, "The Ma
tional Business" the chamber Of COM
L % 40 70 Of
unnamed agent of the United States
Shipping Board, international bank
ers. and the heads of great railroad
and steamship lines are all being
used by British interests to fnjure
the American merchant
BAREs BRITISH METHODS.
British shipping interests are en-
lcouraging eastern trunk lines to seek
the cancellation of existing eQualized
export freight rates to all Atlantic
ports in order to center exports in the
port of New York, Senator Jones
charged.
British shipping interests center IN
New York. the Senator declared. and
I.'whatever helps the port of New York
benefits British ship owners. mon
opoly of export freight sent through
the port of New York spells greater
profits for these British owners
ut follows then that the British
shipping men are in accord with the
Eastern trunk line railway officials
who seek to cancel the present equalf-
zation OF export freight rates from
Central Freight Association territory
to Gulf and South Atlantic ports"
The Chamber of Commerce of the
State of, New York appointed a COM
mittee to seek the cancellation OF
equalized export freight rates and
Deloe w. Cooke, American director of
the British owned Cunard line. was
made chairman of this committee, the
Senator said. =. A. S. Franklin. q
vice president OF the International
Mercantile Marine Company, and in.
ternational bankers and railroad and
steamship magnates are members Of
this chamber of commerce. the speak
| er pointed out.
AMERICAN LINE BLOCKED.
"Can any sane man doubt that this
| principle of edualized export freight
rates. necessarily underlying the
establishment OF an American Mer.
chant Marine Is being sacrificed TO a
group devoted to furthering the in
terests of the British Mercantile Ma
rino or OF the British trade'?" SEN
ator Jones asked.
Senator Jones said a shipping man
or Newark, n. j., had attempted TO
establish a line between Newark ant
England and had sought to secure
Government ships. His application
was referred to the Shipping Roard'a
representative in New York. who said
that the establishment of such n line
would iniuro the business of British
lines sailing out of New York. Sepa-
tor Jones said. Although failing TO
give the name of the Shipping Board
| agent. Senator Jones said, ho was
formerly an employe OF the Interna-
tional Mercantile Marine and Is An
American citizen.
Senator Jones cited the agreement
between the International Mercantile
Marine and the British admiralty and
read long excerpts from u.
PARTIES TO AGREEMENT.
Tho parties to tho agreement az
given by the Senator are tho Lord
High Admiral of tho United Kingdom
Of Great Britain and Ireland. and tho
Board Of Trade for and on behalf
OF his maJcsty's government and the
Hnterns tionsl Mercantile Marine CoD-