The Alaska daily empire., 1921-06-07
THE JONES' BILL.

The action of the Territory and the Juneau Com mercial Association in carrying to the courts the Merchant Marine Act, so-called Jones b passed by Congress and approved June 5, 1920, have drawn fire from the Federal Shipping Board, at least from its Seattle representative, R. M Semmes, head of the Operating Department for the Board. Whether MT Semmes approves or criticses unfav- oraby the testing of the law is not matter of very much importance since it will not be question com ing under his jurisdiction in the present instance at least.
 If Mir. Semmes is correctly quoted in his reported interview in Seattle newspaper, he apparently mis- takes the foundation for the suit that has been filed. He is arguing proposition which is not at issue in any way. Not paragraph in the measure has been questioned by Aaskans except Section 27 which reads follows:
 That merchandise shall be transported
 by land, or by land and water, penalty
 of forfeiture thereof, between points in the
 United States including districts, territories
 and possessions thereof embraced within the .
 coastwise laws either directly via for
 egn port, for any part of the transpor-
 tation,e, in any other vessel than vessel
 built in. and documented under the laws of
 the United States and owned by persons
 who are citizens of the United States,
 ses to which the privilege of engaging in
 the coastwse trade is extended by sections
 IS or 22 of this Act: Provided, That this
 section shall not apply to the merchandise
 transported between points within the con-
 tinenta United States, excluding Alaska
 oyer through routes heretofore hereafter
 
 mission for which routes tariffs have been 2.
 shall hereafter be filed with said Commits
 sion when such routes are in part over
 Canadian rail lines and their other
 connecting water facilities.
 second proviso is also carried removing the Yukon River carriers from inclusion in this section until after the completion of the Alaska Railroad the Shipping Board finds that proper shipping faci tiesi have been furnished by American citizens.
 If Section 27 had ended without the roviso quoted above MT. Semmes would have been entirely within the bounds of in declaring that the pur- pose of section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act of Congress approved June 5, 1920 is conserve to American railroads and American ships employine American citizens and paying American wages the carriage of traffic which is consumed in the United States But the effect of the proyisois to nullify all of the prohiboW part of the section except in the case of Alaska Seattle merchants and merchants of other towns the Pacific Coast may ship theii goods from Eastern markets and factories over Can adian lines by Canadian boats but Alaska may not Shipping along the Great Lakes which is far heavie than any man now living probably will witness in Alaska does not come under it's provisions The sec tion may have been written to foster American rail roads and ships but in it's final form it is limited in it scope to Alaska
 Alaskans are not asking for any privilege which as they see 1t is not already being enjoyed by the citizens Of other parts of the United States. And that is the question which the courts have beer not affected by the opinions of the Shipping Board or any of its members, by those of the Juneau Commercial Association the Terror al Government uhe courts action, whichever way it may fall will ciarfy the situation and for that the instituted through the Juneau Commercial Associa- ton and the Territory should be welcomed by al concerned.