The Washington herald., 1921-01-06
BENSON DENIES
BOYCOTT OF ship
BOARD VESSELS
Says U. S. Bottoms Today
Ably Competing With
Foreign Carriers.

Assertions that American grain
shippers whenever possible are boy
cotting Shipping Board vessels in IA
vor of foreign bottoms, were called
utterly unfounded" by Admiral
Benson, chairman of the Shipping
Board, in a statement yesterday.
Admiral Benson's statement fol-
lowed the publication of an editorial
in The Herald of December 80. The
editorial said. in part:
The Herald can state as a fact that
there is not a grain merchant who
will not give a preference and pay
more money for a British, French,
Norwegian, Dutch. or any other
ocean carrier, rather than a Shipping
Board vessel.
This is because of the experience
of the past year in the total lack of
appreciation of the sanctity of
contract, and the loss and distress
which follows an arbitrary violation
OF It on the part of the Shipping
Board officials.
For instance, in grain, it is neces-
sary to specify the time of shipment
closely as well as exact quantity to
be loaded on a vessel and any devia-
tion from these terms of contract
gives the buyer chance to repudi-
ate the purchase altogether, as not
being in accordance with the terms
Of the contract.
The half has never been told as
to the Shipping Boards apparent
inability to understand or act upon
normal practices and requirements
OF commercial overseas trade It
has in numberless instances arbi-
trarily taken away boats clearly
chartered and this without regard
to the loss and damage which has
followed to the charterer.
1T has seemingly not consulted
with the shippers, nor sought to
learn from them the rules and Gus
toms Of their overseas trade
"A merchant feet cannot be han
died like a naval feet. 1t cannot
be handled as a separate and dis
tinct unit operating by ..self and
where mistakes, short of disaster.
may be concealed in the meshcs of
| discipline.
"A merchant fleets mistakes in
management are inevitably disClos-
| ed in financial losses and idle ships,
as well as Clogged or retarded
trade. The board must give the
service before making a priority ap-
peal to shippers"
Chairman Benson denied that the
grain shippers, who are by far the
greatest users OF ocean tonnage, are
paying higher rates to British,
Dutch or Norwegian operators in
preference to American owners
The vessels Of the United States
Shipping Board are today carrying
their share Of American grain to
| foreign countries at rates and con-
| ditions which are just as favorable
as those which are being received
by our foreign competitors" said
Admiral Benson Furthermore, it
is not logical to assume that an
| importer will pay one steamer a
rate higher than another for the
movement Of the same commodity
to the same territory at the same
time of shipment To do so would
place a shipper at a competitive
disadvantage because the grain
market is not stable but a field in
which competition is keen.
Tt has been stated that the Ship
ping Board has a total lack of ap-
probation of the sanctity of a con-
tract and the binding and obliga-
tory nature thereof. That is ri
diculous for the board, no more
than any other person or corpora.
tion, can arbitrarily refuse to exc
cute the terms of a binding con-
tract.
Changed Conditions.
The question comes to mind
whether cities have not taken the
! conditions which existed immedi-
ately following the war as the basis
| for assertion no longer applicable
Then the amount of cargo to be
moved was far in excess Of the
tonnage available. Under the stress
of such circumstances many in
stances arose which were actually
hardships to the shipper. For ex-
ample the vessels which were taken
from the war often had to be re-
paired and overhauled: they fire.
quently broke down just on the eve
of meeting a contract.
In those cases the board did
everything in its power to assist
by substituting other steamers
which it had free for the employ
ment.
AS to the charge that the board
has never sought to learn from
shippers the rules and customs OF
their overseas trade, it can be stat
ed that from it's inception the
studying the problems Of shippers
from every possible source, for in
no other way can an adequate,
strong American merchant marine
be built up.