New-York tribune., 1922-11-05
MarUin Says British Euade
Real Issue in Egyptian Case
American Steamship Official Charges Sir Freder;.t
Lewis Obscures Facts; .. S. Vessels Obtainss
Share of Trade Only After Prolonged Rate W.

New York City, 0ctobep bSr''isIion y
This country, said Mr.. Harr;tssg -
consumes about one.third - e''''II
Egyptian cotton crop. All +ho
tIan cotton brought to thia cn,,,,t ~
to-day carried in foreign ~ 9s ..'s ~
Although we have been onerat;nas ,o,ssas ss,..
service for eighteen reonths Il sles
been impossible for US to obsssrls nss
single pound of Egyptian cotton t.s
American ships VA ie'
Our effort TO obtain shara a tts.
business by working both in aiss
andria and IN London has, 20 far 49,
unsuccessful The only result Of ans
efforts last spring was that tie car.
tract Tor this years crop was msds
five months earlier than Il. bad -,'.sas aa
made the year before. The, pr;s;es a';ea
ship owners realized the dafsga, - ts ses I
competition and forced the Toercs =, -
10 sign up before our plans wesa q ss,sss ~,ss
] developed. We would have beso ,ssss M
ing and glad to carry this eotsan :. :,
| below the conference rate, but ta.,,ss
| our hands are tied and the snsr;ass
consumer is4 paying the toll 10 Il.
British sf1ipowner." W
Hartman Aroused coantry
/ Mr.. harriman's words srou.ad 4.
stant attention all over the coars..es -
and in Washington. The subject ~.
| taken UP at once by the Un;tss
States Shipping Board. Il Was ysss
clearly developed that the Brisssf
! Liverpool liners' conference, In wslstb
Sir Frederick Lewis's Prince Line ss5
the Cunard Line were important fsss
tors, had strangle hold on the Alsr
andria situation. Through hindiss
agreements with the Alexandra Pred.
uce Association, in which British q.
fluence was dominant, none but as
British steamers Of the Liverposf
combine" were allowed to conuss
Egyptian cotton purchased or intends
for the American cotton manufacp
of New England and New York.
this exclusive service the British shsE
ping combine" wss receiving vafs
handsome freight rates.
Mr.. Hartman had asked not at6t
whole of the cotton" for Americas
ships, as Sir Frederick Lewis miataksa-
ly declares, but only small proper
tion-a few shipments--snd was blunt.
ly told that not pound Of cotton wss
available for American bottoms. When
the Shipping Board took up the sub
ject IT offered bids for transportation
to both the United Kingdom and tie
United States.
Sir Frederick Lewis declares thst
when the United States Shipping
Board subsequently rendered for the
l921-'22 contracts their rate for the
United States ports was precisely shs
same as that quoted by the British
lines, but their rate for the United
Kingdom ports was 8 shillings lessH
AS a matter. Of fact, the Americao bids,
a q ish c$ he ~
lings TO the United Kingdom and &c
shillings to the United States. The bids
of the Liverpool conference liners
were 40 shtilings 60 the United King
dom and 60 shillings TO the United
States.
Nevertheless. such wss British domis
nance over business interests at Alex.
andria that the contract for the en- u
tire shipments Of Egyptian cotton WAS
given to the Liverpool conferences
lines under an exclusive contract dated
June 2, 1921 ct rates understood TO be
considerably below the original pro-
posals.
When this announcement reachsd1
vigorous action on the part Of the.
Shipping Board. Emphatic protests
were received against the British mo-
nopoly from the American Chamber of
Commerce OF Alexandria. On July In
1t was reported in the American press
that Washington authorities were oou-
sidering the enforcement against the
conference lines of certain retaliatory
measures embodied in the Jones law
the merchant marine act of 1920. Ill
was further reported that the British
combine" was fortifying its monopoly
by means Of intimidation and thret4s
OF boycott and reprisal upon the ss
ton shippers of Alexandria"
Rate War Started
Early in July it was announced thss
the Shipping Board was sending an
agent to London TO present its insist
ence upon securing fair proportion Of
american shipments of Egyptian Gotten
Tor American steamship service. Ar
Associated Press dispatch of July as
from Washington stated: :Aggrsssivs
m measures have been adopted by Tbs
Shlpplng Board TO insure fair treat
ment TOT American merchant ships fr
eign ports. Although but partly ~
vesled by negotiations now In progrsss
the boards policy is understood to rest
on the proposition that other nations
must give every proper opportunity to
saips which fly the Stars and Stripes,
or else run the risk of encountsring
tne retaiiatory measures placed withia
the prerogative of the board by the
new shipping act"
The dispatch went on TO say thst
these negotiations had direct referenus
to the Alsxandria cotton situatlon
Another Associated Press dispatch from
London on August stated that Ill
lengthy conference had been held be-
tween Representatives OF the Shipping
Board and British Shipping leaders, but
that 1t had "failed to develop settle
menS OF the dispute between the Ameri
can and British bidders for Alexandra 4
cotton shipping contracts for shs en-
suing year.
On October the American mesa 8
papers announced that "the Skipping 4
Board has broken off negotiations ,gltb 4
the Liverpool conference lines" Thass
was followed on October by further
announcement that "an open fight 70 4
win part of the Egyptian cotton-caffy- 1
ing trade from the British.--nark wsi 1
that this is part, and not the
whole" of 1t. as Sir Frederick Lewis
had said-"has been started by thes
Shipping Board with che Eussrgencx
Fleet Corporation. Authorization hsss
gone cut to Shipping Board rasnsslng1
agents tc quote rates ten shillingt
ton lower than the t=sssf fixed by fhsg
Liverpool lines
This was the situations breakiug
on OF negotiations, insistence on
part" OF the Egyptian cotton for Arasfs}
lean ships and 9 cutting of cotf9ftA
rates from Alexandria ten shillings besj
Af~s< H.. - t-&3