New-York tribune., 1922-05-17
Board Defietl
On Ultinlatu1n
By Coast Lines
Refuse Phone Demand From
Love TO Add Tacoma to
Ports Of Call aud Term
Il 'Political Bulldozing"
Deny Tail Can Wag Dog
Government, With :, Ships
in Service, Welcome to
Bolt, Operators Assert

At ono of the stormiest Steamship
meetings held in recent months the
Atlantic lntercoastal Conference yes
terdsy dehed the Shipping Board uti-
matum that Tacoma must be added as
one Of the Pacific Coast ports Of call or
the government vessels would be with
drawn from the conference. This mes
sage was delivered over the telephone
from Washington by w. J. Love. vice
president of the Emergency Fleet Cor
poration in charge of traffic.
The meeting was attended by repre-
sentatives of the seven lines in the
Gulf and Pacific, the Americsn-Ha-
waiian. the Luckenhach, the Williams.
the Pacific Mail. Crowell 4 Thurlow
and the North Atlantic and Western.
The latter operates FIVE vessels for the
Shipping Board. and in addition has
two ships of its own and FIVE charte red
steamers.
The Shipping Board on Monday sent
request to the Intercoastal Confer
ence asking that Tacoma be reinststed
rs port of call by the coastwise lines,
which had decided that shipments were
not sufficiently large to justify direct
sa1iings. and that goods should be
transshipped at Seattle. This was re-
!ected by the conference. The board
followed UP its first demand with q
threat to bolt.
In the telephone conversation with
Mr.. Love the private lines told him
that If the Shipping Board was not sat
lshed with the situation it had re-
course provided by law Under the
Shipping act of 1916 and the merchant
marine act OF 1920 the board is given
authority to approve or disapprove the
acts OF any conference after due hear
lnSs and consideration.
1t is understood that Mr.. Love was
told also that as the board had only
'lve ships out of sixty in the coast
"lse trade. the private lines did not
lear bolt. and that they would well
come complete withdrawal from serv-
ice ny the government. AS one Of
neal expressed it, 1.-The tail cannot wag
the dog" 3
Considerable resentment was eS-
rressed at the "ultimatum," which the
private lines declared was contrary to
me economic facts. Tacoma was one
of the five Pacific ports which the COM
lanes decided to omit from the list of
direct sailings. The others were San
Dlego, Astoria, Vancouver and Vic
toria
Much OF the time of the conference
was occupied with attempts to discover
now information on the proceedings Of
mo previous day became known to the
newspapers, which published details Of
the session. 1t is understood that each
o. the members was pledged to strict
secrecy until decision had been
reached. The usual policy of the
steamship conferences is to give out in
formation the following day on any
changes IN rates, but to conceal thn DO
felopments at the time of the meet
ings.
Several members Of the conference
yesterday expressed the belief that in
this matter the Shipping Board is be-
ing "oull-dozed by politicians" Refer
ence vas made to the delegation which
appeared here last week to protest
against the decision of the conference
This was headed by Representative
A!pert Johnson, of Washington, speak
ing for Tacoma.