Evening star., 1922-06-15
j. s. MAY BAR ALL
SHIPS WITH LIQUOR
Congress Action Possible in
View of Quarrel Involving
Merchant Marine.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Congress may prohibit all ships,
whether they fly the flag of foreign
countries or the United States. from
entering any port OF this country If
liquor is carried aboard, sealed or
otherwise.
This is likely to be the upshot of
the quarrel which has arisen over
the practice of the United States
Shipping Board in permitting the
mile limit in order to meet the COM
petition of foreign ships engaged in
the passenger-carrying trade.
The Shipping Board insists that
there is no law or constitutional pro-.
vision which prevents an American
ship from selling liquor after the
three mile limit has been passed In
stead of arguing the legality or IL
legality of the practice which alone
could be determined finally by Su-
preme Court decision, members OF
Congress have been introducing bills
to provide that the proposed ship
subsidy shall not apply to any ships
selling liquor at sea.
PeriIs Merchant Marine
Such proposal, it is declared by
suicidal to the American merchant
marine. and that no amount of sub
sidy would enable American ships to
compete under those circumstances
against foreign vessels. In order to
carry on a profitable trade and to
get well balanced merchant marine.
useful in war as well as peace, large
ships, known in marine parlance as
capital ships" are necessary as well
as freight carriers. These capital
ships require considerable passenger
traffic annually to keep them going.
If foreign ships can sell liquor out
side the three-mile limit they ad-
mittedly will get most of the passen-
ger trade. according to official eSti-
mates based on actual experience.
To discriminate against American
ships while permitting foreign ves-
sells touching American ports to open
their bars al sea is regarded in Con-
gress and elsewhere as incuuitahle.
and the only way to prevent il would
American territory if they have liquor
aboard. This might tend to help
vessels to some extent, but
already it is pointed out that the ad-
would work in the direction
of British vessels. for they would
close their bars after touching Hall
fax, transport all their liquor to
shore and continue to New York
without intoXicants aboard SO as to
with the suggested port reg
ulations. But in order to make a
fast trip across. many vessels under
foreign flags would hesitate to make
a stop at Canadian ports because OF
the time that would be lost in the
roundabout voyage.
Would Equalize Competition.
In the transatlantic trade, there
fore. shipping officials think such a
proposal would enable American ves-
seis to compete on more or less equal
terms with foreign ships. In the Pa
citic. however, the fear is that Amer
ica's merchant marine would suffer
Vancouver, British Columbia, is not
far from Seattle. for instance, and
the American tourist would be tempt
ed to take his boat at Vancouver in
stead of a United States port. The
Japanese passenger vessels would
continue. of course. to carry liquor
aboard. and the American ships might
lose much of their passenger trade.
When the matter comes up in Con-
gress, therefore, Pacific coast mem
trying to get ship subsidy bill
through will find themselves confront
ed by a practical situation which has
little to do with the merits of pro-
hibition. Senator Jones of Washing
ton, one of the prohibition leaders in
Congress. will have to decide a tic
klish point.
The truth is that many Of the
spokesmen for the prohibition move
ment concede that the Shipping Board
has the law on its side in the present
controversy and that an American
ship outside the three-mile limit is
not subject to the enforcement of the
prohibition laws or any other statutes
of the United States except those
which apply to the registry of ships.
treatment of crews and other matters
specifically covered by statute.
Many Decisions on Point.
This is a moot point and there
have been slring of decisions on it
in the courts for the last century.
if an American ship is American ter
ritory it would he immune from
seizure during war when the United
States Is neutral and that nobody
could be taken off an American ship
at sea. AS a matter of fact the
United States in the famous contro-
versy with Great Britain during the
civil war asserted the right to search
British ship and remove passengers.
II the ship were on American territory
it would be an attack against the
sovereignty of the United States.
During the recent war American yes
sells outside the three-mile limit were
subject to capture and diversion from
their courses and the American gov
ernment never contended that an
American ship was American terri
tory.
But Congress will not wait for de-
cision on these. points. 1t has the
power to refuse funds to American
ships which carry liquor Such a pro-
hibition is regarded as constitutional.
So the fight will be waged on that
phase of the question. and unless the
defenders of the present practice sue
ceed in convincing Congress that seri-
Gus damage would be done the mer-
chant marine by attempting to extend
prohibition to the seas. some provisions
will surely be written into law forbid
ding any vessels, American or foreign,
from touching American ports if liquor
Is carried. The difficulty will be in en-
forcing the provision with respect to
foreign ships, because search will be
necessary when foreign ships arrive,
and there would be nothing to prevent
a foreign vessel from receiving q sup
ply of liquor from tug outside the
three-mile limit, said tug being of COL
lier size perhaps. and being stocked
up at Bermuda or some other nearby
foreign port and it's voyages timed so
as to meet the foreign vessels after
they leave American ports.
Copyright, 1927
KING DEC0RATES TENOR.