New-York tribune., 1922-10-08

can passenger ships everywhere, thus
making 1t still more difficult for our
| flag to maintain itself in general over
seas competition. If the interpreta-
tion of the Attorney General is correct
the law will be obeyed, like all other
laws, by the merchant ships Of the
United States. But the hard fact must
be faced that it imposes another grave
disadvantage on American ships, par
ticularly on the largest and swiftest
steamers, the most valuable element in
our merchant shipping and our national
naval reserves. The action Of the At
torney General makes it all the more
(! imperative that Congress should lose
no time in the enactment Of vigorous
national aid, or the greatest of our
American steamship lines will most
certainly disappear from the ocean"
| Most of the heads of American
steamship companies were out of the
city yesterday and could not be reached.
No statements could be obtained at the
Offices of the United American Lines,
the international Mercantile Marine
Company, the Munson Lines or the
United Fruit Company.
Captain C. A. McAllister, vice presi-
dent of the American Bureau of Ship
ping, was inclined to take a more op-
timistic view than officials connected
with steamship lines. He declared that
with American and foreign ships on
practically the same footing. travellers
| from this country, who make up the
greater majority, will prefer ships un-
der their own flag, He did not believe
that the foreign liners would find it
feasible to transfer liquor supplies
outside the territorial limit, or that
many of them would call at Canadian
ports.
| Evasion of Law Expected
"Imagine the Majestic" he said,
Coming in and transferring her large
stores to lighter and then going out
in fog and losing the lighter or being
delayed for hours until she could find it.
presumably there will be as many
means devised to evade the law on
ships as there are on land, but that
will all come out in the wash. It is
the duty of all good citizens to uphold
the law of the land. and so long as the
can ships | am glad that the same re-
strictions apply to foreign ships enter
ing our ports"
Conflicting reports regarding the
manner in which the Daugherty ruling
would affect the sale of liquor at sea
on the America, of the United States
Lines, attended the sailing yesterday of
| the vessel from Hoboken ror Plymouth,
Cherbourg end Bremen. Tie America,
the first American liner to Sail follow
| ing the PRONUNCIATION of the ruling,
carried her regular consignment of
liquor for consumption outside of the
three-mile limit.
Shortly before the America pulled
out her chief steward, P. Sickle, said
that he would not open the bar even
after the liner had passed the restric-
tive zone, and would prohibit the sale
of liquors pending further orders from
the Offices of the United States Lines,
which is under the supervision of the
Shipping Board,
Doom for y. 5. Marine
T. II. Rossbottom, general manager
of the company, however, declared that
he had issued no order regarding the
sale of liquors on the America. for he
had received no official word from
Washington regarding the matter. He
declined to make any comment on the
newspaper reports, but another official
of the line said he believed that the
foreign lines would in some manner
circumvent the legislation so that the
ships under the American flag would be
the sufferers. In fact. he added. it
would be the death knell for our mer-
chant marine.
Captain William Rind, commander of
the America, said he had received no
orders on the liquor question. so
the passengers were more or less in
a quandary as to what to expect. This
brought forth an interesting fact The
chief topic Of discussion among all the
passengers and the relatives and
friends who bade them bon voyage was
liquor. The passengers felt positive
in their contention that the Dauchertv