The Washington herald., 1921-02-08
PLOTS ALLEGED
TOCHOKE PORTS
BY new WORKERS
New England Coast
Towns and Philadelphia
Hit, Shippers Claim.
PROTEST ENTERED
Witnesses Present Stories. Be-
fore Shipping Board
At Hearing.

Evidence OF concerted ehOIl On
the part of private shipping inter
ests to strangle the port OF Phtla-
delphia and New England ports in
favor of New York was developed
here Yesterday at a Shipping Board
hearing called to consider the pro-
test of the several Harriman-con-
trolled steamship companies AGAINST
the use Of government vessels IN the
coast-to-coast trade.
Statements adduced from the tes-
timony of Charles E. ware 1r'' OF
Roston. president of the North At
Iantic and Western Steamship Com
nany- an organization of Philadel-
mia, and Boston capital operating
Ave Shipping Board ships from
philadelphia, Boston and Portland,
Me to the Pacific Coast, showed
that the company was formed when
Pbiladelphia and New England in
terests found the big shipping in
terests DISPOSED to make other
North Atlantic ports a way sta
tion" for New York.
Defends Policy.
Wars vigorously defended the
policy of the Shipping Board in en-
Couraging Philadelphia and New
England capital to buy and operate
government ships in the so-called
international trade. His testimony
taken together with that of Harris
Live~more, president of the Cnited
American Lines, operators OF the
American Ship and Commerce Com
many and the American Hawaiian
steamship Company, all Hartman
shipping interests, revealed an IN
teresting story Of the enorls or
various American shipping com
panies TO get back into the proht-
ahIe coast -to-coast trade now thai
the trans Atlantic and South amer
lean business has fallen on even
With the reduced rates applying in
those routes.
Denies Rate War.
Livermore, who said he spoke
also for the LuckenbaCh Steamship
Comnany. at the same time virtual
Iy exploded the threat Of an imne-
diate rate war recently made by W.
Averil Hartman in an address AT
the Republican Club in New YORK
Iiyermore acknowledged that II
might not be good business at
this time 20 reduce rates in the IN
tercoastal trade. but intimated that
the companies he represented might
be forced by the keenness OF the com
petition ITO go their own. way in
the matter of rates.
As an upshot OF the hearing it
was indicated plainly that the snip
ming Board has no intention OF re-
moving Shipping Board vessels from
the coast-to-coast trade in compli-
ance with the protests OF the Harrl-
man interests, nor has it any inten-
tion OF terminating it's arrangement
with the North Atlantic and West
ern Steamship Company or other
companies financed in Philadelphia
or other coast cities outside OF New
York to build up their local ship
ping business.
Surplus Tonnage.
1t was Livermore's contention
that more tonnage was now oper-
ating in the coast-to-coast trade
than the business warranted and
that the board was pursuing pol
icy unfair to private shipping in
tprests to permit the use OF its yes
sells in competition with the ships
of the American Hawaiian line, for
example, which engaged In Nhat
trade before the war.
Wares testimony and points oe-
veIoped by members Of the board
notably Charles Sutter, on the other
hand. showed that the American
Hawaiian Company had deliberately
withdrawn its ships from the coast
to-coast trade in 1915 and operated
them in more profitable trans-At-
lsntic routes. 4 The company now
seeks, Ware said. TO get back into
the coast-to-coast trade because the
trans Atlantic business is demoral
lied and despite the fact that the
North Atlantic and Western Steam
ship Company at the time OF It's
formation in 1919 had the pledge of
Iiyermore that the ships OF his
company would remain in other
routes for two more years.