The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-10-18
HUGHES BLOCKS
AID To SHIPS,
CHARGE
Former Counsel Of y. S
Board Says Preferential
Duty ls Blocked.
By JOHN T. LAMBERT,
Cosmopolitan News Service.

Cosmopolitan News Service.
The power Of Uncle Sam to de-
velop his merchant marine by
granting a definite preferential
duty to all goods shipped in
American vessels was snatched
out Of the Fordney- McC lumber
tariff by the Republican Admins
Grafton and now exists nowhere IN
the laws Of this land, according
to revelations made here today
by Robert A. Dean, former gen
eral counsel Of the United States
Shipping Board.
8. Make Campaign Pledges.
Mr.. Dean had great deal to DO
with drafting the Jones act, under
which the American merchant ma.
rine is operated. He was one OF
the authors Of the famous section
"a, by which Congress instructed
the President to notify the thirty
nations with which this country
has trade compacts that it propose
to give a favorable duty to mer-
chants, who would transport their
goods In American ships.
.&FTGS1OGAI WUSOu EG1O0%A ~
serve that notice upon them. Presi-
dent Harding broke his campaign
pledge and refused. Secretary
Hughes has now advised President
Coolidge that he has no right to
do 1t.
Section 81 told the President to
serve notice of his intention to
grant the preferential duty. The
last Democratic tariff provided the
President could grant q duty an
high as 10 per cent. Mr.. Dean
said today when the F'Ordney Nc
Cumber bill was written that def
mite amount Of preference was LETT
out.
Whether the international mer-
camille interests were on the 1on
as usual to strike down all benefits
intended for American ships is a
matter which Mr.. Dean has been
az yet unable 20 verify.
Still Has Power.
Regardless OF what Secretary
Hughes tells the President, this
country still has power to serve
notice upon the thirty foreign gov.
ernments that he intends to grant
a preference duty to our country q
"I regret that they seem disin.
clined to pave the way to maintain
a merchant marine, 50 absolutely
necessary to the country" he said.
Section 81 was written into the
law by the real friends Of an ade-
uuate merchant marine.
I'm the first sixty years Of the
last century, when preferential
duties existed for American ships,
we carried never less than 66 per
cent of our foreign trade and as
high as 90 per cent. Since we
abolished preferential duties, our
shipping has declined. In 1921,
we carried about 90 per cent, last
year "a per cent, and this years
records will show further Drop.
do we want a merchant ma
rine? In order to have one, we
may have to work some hardship
upon our competitors. Isn't It
about time that we started to take
care of ourselves a bit?
DESPITE what the State Depart
ment says, it is perfectly legal for
the President to advise the othe r
nations that we intend to revise
the trade conventions, which have
been written by the hundreds.
which are frequently altered, and
to which the State Department
seeks to give unusual dignity by
the name of treaties We have,
in fact, recent precedent for do
ing so.
Earlier Changes Recalled.
1.-THE Furuseth seaman's act Of
1915 provided for increased wages
for seamen, for further extension
Of their rights. and for several adj
changes which were re-
garded as running counter to our
trade conventions.
''The administration then advised
the foreign countries OF our 1nten-
ton to change the agreements
with them and received the ap.
proval of all the countries. 1nclud'
ing China, which was good enough
to inform us that she thought such
a change might prove injurious TO
I'm other words, our country
change which was regarded by
them as being injurious to US. AMI
which they cordially accepted, but
our State Department now says
that we cannot legally submit to
them a proposed change which is
intended to prove OF benefit to
ourselves.
President Coolidge should in
form the other countries that we
intend to modify our trade conven-
tons by granting a preferential
duty on goods shipped in Ameri
can vessels. The next Congress
should then pass an act fixing the
Of that preference and
thus correct the evil Of the Ford