The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-08-26
EAVORS REVISION
OF ship LAWS TO
BOOM INDUSTRY
C. h. Potter Outlines
Plan to Save U. s. Mer-
chant Marine.

q
American merchant marine and put
it upon a stable basis was sug-
gested to Albert d. Lasker, chair
man of the United States Shipping
Board. in a letter addressed to him
yesterday by Charles H Potter, OF
New York, president of the Unitei
States Ship Operators Association
Potter also entered a vigorous pro-
test against the recent tendency In
administrative and Congressional
circles to indiscriminately attack
all users of Shipping Board vessels.
Asserting that there has been
too much destructive criticism and
too little constructive action" Pot
ter asks that in the future clear
distinction be mads between those
ship operators who have justified
the ALLEGATION of Shipping Board
tonnage to them md those opera
tors who have beet found unworthy
of trust II there are any such cup
able operators he urges tneH
prosecution
Future Of Marine.
The issue, Potter reminds the
board chairman, lie the future o.
the merchant marine, and in pre-
senting the plan of mis- orsanlsauo l.
he stresses the point that II the
reputatiop and standing of honest
operators now striving to keep tn
American merchant flag on the seas
Is destroyed, others will be deferred
a their nlaCeS.
Ship operators fICm all ports OF
the country are embraced in the
organization for s.n.Ch Potte
speaks. They, as well as other eff
ficient lessees of shipping Board
boats, he says, are potentially the
owners of the future and he PLEADS
for governmental encouragement O.
their efforts to make the American
merchant marine a success
Arguing that the country Is not
to scrap the millions invetsed in
government tonnage, nor to return
to its 'pitifuI pre-war maritime
position" nor to have its shipping
again monopoliZed by a few, Potter
proposes methods which he and his
associates believe will increase sub
stantially the number of American
concerns owning and operating
American vessels
The proposed bare boat charter
is declared to be impracticable un-
der existing conditions, in that 1t
would tie up our ships. turn them
over to irresponsible charterers
wiIlin to gamble on future condi-
tons. or concentrate them in the
hands Of a few large owners.
Favors Increasing OwnershiP.
Private ownership Of government
tonnage as 500 mas practicable in
accordance with the Jones act, is
suggested, but private ownership.
Potter asserts, nuts not be return
to monopolistic control by a few
large companies Intsead. he pro-
poses greatly increasing and widely
distributing ownership in American
ships through the nationwide mar
ketinE OF Shipping securities as
soon as conditions permit
-Prot-sharins must be the prin-
eip1e underlying any permanent
! plan OF operation adopted" he say.
S'No plan will work under present
epressed world conditions unless
futsed temporarily to meet such
lditions. Operators must be en-
ed to earn a reasonable minimum
erhead"
III is insisted that trade rou.As
bust not be destroyed or crinDled
Ny ipdisc-iminately tying UP shiDs
Spch acton. il &c declared. would
not orIv be in violation % the Jones
act. but would result in bending
over the business develoned by
American concerns to foreign COM
petitors.
Defends Tramp ships
The imnortarce OF encou-agi1"
teh operation Of American tramn
shins is ernnhs sized nv Potter. who
points nut tat G-Aat B-itain and
Other fi-st-cI"ss maritime powers
have recognized the feet that the
trann shin service is the backb~rie
of any merchant marine. Potte-
sreoA~ts the distributing of a fixed
nurber of shins amonP efficient
trarrn shin onarators to be ma'--
tsinsd while Isid m ana LAnt road
for 'r,n-ovFd business conditions.
PAvs'nn If Jaws and reenl"tinns
rrfai-Iv hanp4-ine American shin
pi-- ard the re-n~a' ~ unnecesss-v
ad--irist-atie restraints Is advo-
Gated. while a fair dist-ibu+ion Of
futurA costs Is n-onnsAd .h-oreh the
MEDIUM NJ charging OF mast axres
sive costs to ten war emergency
the elimination ~ excessive GOVERN
mental nArhea6 and nv cha-oin~ to
Re AMERICAN starda-d % livino tho
difference in the cost ~ manning
Anne-ir"r and fn-si~n shi~s.
"F-eAd from these costs hitherto
fnnr"nAr'v charged to operation
AnerirAn shi~nin~ viii receive its
firts Faintsst." Potter concludes.