The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-01-21
Attitude of British to-
S.Shipping Criticised.
Senator Jones Of Washington
Says British Control Many
Americans.
CITES ONE CONCERN
international Mercantile Marine
Co. is Charged With Aiding
British.
NV Associated Pressl

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2O.-Dlfect
Nand implied criticism of the attitude
OF British and other freight shipping
Interests toward the newly created
American merchant marine, permeated
today's sessions of the second annual
convention OF the National Merchant
Marine association.
senator Ransdell, OF Louisiana, as
president OF the association, opened
the convention with plea for AN
American merchant marine built.
owned and operated by Americans,
without the faintest suspicion In their
make up Of foreign sympathy" and
Homer l.. Ferguson, Newport News,
Va. ship builder, concluded the days
program with the declaration that the
United states, il necessary. should
adopt discriminatory legislation TO
hold it's place on the seas.
Jones Starts Riot.
The bomb shell of the day, however,
was set by Senator Jones, OF Wash
ington. chairman Of the senate COM
merce committee, and author Of the
merchant marine act. who told the
convention that the international Mer-
chant Marine company, one of the
largest American ship operating con-
Germs. was bound by an agreement
with the British admiralty to conduct
its business "in the interest OF the
British government and British trade.
TO support his statement. the Wash
ington senator read to the convention
the text OF an agreement which he
said the international Merchant Ma
rine company had entered into in 1908
FOR q period OF 20 years and followed
this with sweeping charges of attempts
by British interests, aided, he said.
by certain American interests, ito de-
stroy the American merchant marine.
rhe senator also declared that despite
this agreement, the shipping board
had leased forty of it's ships to the
international Merchant Marine COM
pany.
Franklin Answers Jones.
Y senator Jones' declaration brought
an Immediate reply from p. A. $.
FRANKLIN, president of the Interna-
tional Merchant Marine, who accused
the Washington senator of being "un-
fair" and added;
"All of these agreements to which
he refers have been before the ship
ping board and have been approved
Judge Payne, when he was chairman
or the board passed upon them and
said they were quite satisfactory"
Admiral Benson. chairman of the
shipping board, another speaker on
the convention program, who heard
senator Jones address, said he would
nilace copy OF the agreement refer
red to before the board with recon-
mendation that such action be taken
as warranted, He added that he only
recently learned of the agreement and
was not in sympathy with It,
Senator Jones accused the chamber
OF commerce OF the United States, and
it's magazine. The Nations Business,
as we'll as the New York state cham
Der of commerce. OF Willingly or un-
Willingly, aiding British shipping in
terests I'm their fight against the
American Merchant Marine. He de-
clared these organizations sought with
eastern trunk railroad officials TO can
eel the present equalization of export
freight rates from central freight s.
ISOLATION territory TO gulf and At
lantic ports. Accomplishment of this,
he added, would turn exporting and
importing business from the gulf and
south Atlantic ports to New York,
where, he asserted the British ship
ping interests are centered.