The Washington times., 1922-12-26
CHANCE
IN. BILL Of:
LAD|NG
Shippers Oppose Provision In
Subsidy Measure-urge
Correction.

Tho through bill Of lading 10
sensitive nerve in foreign commerce
and United States foreign brokers
and shippers are concerned over q
provision Of the Ship Subsidy bill
which would allow the United
States Shipping Board to certify
any form of such q bill Of ading.
William L. Clark Of Seattle. Wash.
q Pacific coast transportation rep
resentative, today declared In dis
cussing the subsidy bill.
''Unless q binding international
agreement can be reached concern
ing provisions in bills Of lading for
ships, the United States vessels en-
gagged In foreign commerce should
not be 80 restricted" he declared.
when Pacific coast carriers were
asked some time ago to comply
with an open date requirement,
practically all United States for
eign brokers and the United States
Steel Corporation served notice they
would not use American vessels 50
long as such a provision was writ
ten into a through bill Of lading.
Enactment OF such a law was aban.
doned and these brokers began
using American tonnage"
Urges Correction In Bill.
"A through bill Of lading must be
sufficiently flexible in terms to
meet requirements OF vessels with
out discrimination. and particularly
to meet the competition of foreign
vessels whose bills of lading the
ship subsidy bill does not propose
to regulate and could not because
Of lack Of jurisdiction. This pro-
vision of the bill should be cor
rected or stricken out in the Sen
ate. 1t cannot be changed else
where. Regulation of an American
ship to its disadvantage without
being able to regulate a foreign
ship would be destructive to our
ships and nullify the benefits Of
any subsidy"
Clark called attention to the fact
that a section of the transportation
law Of 1920 made provisions for
through bills Of lading over Ameri-
can railroads and American ships
in foreign trade. It is required by
law that such through bills OF lad
ing must preserve to water carriers
a limited liability. such as exists
in statute and common law con-
forming to long established sea
laws and enjoyed by vessels of all
nations. In considering the trans
portation law its trainers agreed
It was undesirable to establish con-
troll by the Interstate Commerce
Commission over United States yes
sells which could not be enforced
against foreign vessels.
Sees Loss of Safeguard.
Jurisdiction over American ves-
sells by the Interstate Commerce
Commission" said Clark, was re-
stricted by the transportation law
to that part Of transportation which
takes place within the confines OF
the United States. The commission
is powerless to establish any law
full regulation covering terms OF a
through bill of lading affecting
American ships in foreign trade.
The ship subsidy bill overturns this
safeguard to American ships. 1t
requires the Interstate Commerce
Commission in framing regulations
concerning through bills of lading
coming under provision Of the tran.
sportation law to incorporate IN
such bills regulations controlling
the water carrier portions of the
bill as may be certified to the Com.
mission by the United States Ship
ping Board.
Enactment Of this provision un-
changed would permit the Shipping
Board to certify any form OF
through bill of lading in so far as
II affects the water carrier which
the Commission must accept ire
spective of the safeguarding pro-
visions Of the Transportation law
which restrict the Interstate Com.
Gox,as,aiacin., :,