Evening star., 1924-12-07
ABSOLUTE DIVORCE
OF SHIP BOARD AND
FLEET TO Be ASKED
Jones Drafting Bill to Trans
fer Vessel Operation to
Corporation.
MEASURE TO EMBODY
COOLIDGE PROPOSALS
Sweeping Change in Methods Now
Employed Will Be Pro-
vided
BY G.. GOULD LINCoLy

B1 G.. GOULD GINCOL2
A bill transferring absolutely rrom
the Shipping Board to the Emert ency
Fleet Corporation the operation of
the Government-owned merchant
fleet has been drawn in tentative
form by Senator Jones of Washing
ton, chairman of the Senate com
merce committee. He discussed the
proposed provisions with President
Coolidge at the White House yester-
day
Senator Jones has sought in his bill
to carry out the recommendations of
the President in his annual message
to Congress, declaring for the whole
operation of the Government fleet by
the Fleet Corporation.
The Jones bill undertakes TO turn
over to the Fleet Corporation exclu-
sive jurisdiction in operation, sale.
reconditioning, insuring, chartering,
repairing and disposal of the ships.
Transfer Sweeping.
The first two sections of the bill,
which is still in tentative form, fol-
low:
That all vessels now under the
control of the United States Shipping
Board be, and they are hereby, trans
of the Emergency Fleet Corporation.
and hereafter the power and author
ity of the United States Shipping
Board to insure, recondition, repair,
charter, operate. sell and dispose Of
such vessels shall be exercised ex-
clusively by the United States Elmer
gency Fleet CorporatisAA-
''Sec. 2. That all contracts or agree
ments heretofore lawfully entered
into relating to such vessels by the
United States Shipping Board shall
be assumed and carried out by the
United States Emergency Fleet Cor
poration."
The President in his recommended
tion TO Congress included other prop
erty than the ships in the proposed
transfer to the Fleet Corporation.
This may be cared for in future
amendments to the bill.
Sections 3 and of the tentative
draft would repeal certain sections
of the merchant marine act which
place in the hands of the Shipping
Board power over the sale, transfer
and mortgage of vessels owned or
formerly owned by the Government.
Section repeals section 2 IF tho
shipping act of 1915 as amebded by
section Is of the merchant marinS
act of 1920, and section 4 of the bill
would repeal section 35 of the mer-
chant marine act which provides:
= That the power and authority
vested in the board by this act
may be exercised directly by the
board or by it through the Emer-
gency Fleet Corporation"
To BE Presented Soon.
AS soon as the measure has been
placed in final form it will be intro
duced by Senator Jones and referred
to the commerce committee.
Opposition to taking from the
board and placing under the Fleet
Corporation the determination OF
what routes shall be maintained is
expected. 1t may be that as a com
promise provision will be made in
the proposed bill which will leave the
! decision of such questions to the
President in the event that the board
and the Fleet Corporation are not in
agreement on them.
The United States Shipping Board was
created to foster American shipping a
naval auxiliary and naval reserve, TO
see that American shipping had
square deal and to regulate carriers by
water engaged in the foreign and inter-
state commerce of the United States II
was created before the United States
owned merchant vessel Obviously 1t
is intended that the Shipping Board
shall continue to function long after the
United States Government has ceased
to own any merchant ships, though that
day may be far removed from the pres
ent
Duty lis Distinct.
The duties of the Shipping Board. en-
tfrely outside Of and unconnected with
the operation of the merchant fleet
have sometimes been lost sight OF in
-.r1 = -
lem. The operation Of the huge fleet
built by the United States during the
war and the disposition of shipyards and
material have been constantly to the
forefront
President Coolidge, in his annual mes
sage to Congress delivered Wednesday,
has proposed that legislation be en-
acted to transfer into the Emergency
Fleet Corporation the whole responsi-
bility of operation of the feet and other
pr,.>A-1ts-- jsaving to the Shipping Board
solely the duty OF determining certain
major policies which require delibera-
tive action"
Urges Reorganization.
During the war, the President said,
the board was loaded with enormous
administrative duties. 1t has been dem
onstrated time and again that this form
of organization results in indecision, di-
vision of opinion and administrative
functions, which make a wholly made
quate foundation for the conduct of a
great business enterprise"
The President proposed that the
entire functions of the board" be
reorganized Whether legislation de-
signed to carry out these recommend
ations can be enacted at the present
short session Of Congress remains to
be seen. There will be opposition to
giving the Fleet Corporation greater
power than 1t already holds. on the
part of some members of Congress-
On the other hand, many Senators
and Representatives are convinced
with the President that the opera
tion of the fleet should be Transferred
to the Fleet Corporation.
The real effect of the proposal to
divorce the operation of the fieet
from the Shipping Board and TO
place 1t in the hands of the Fleet
Corporation, is to put it more direct
ly under the President himself and
Congress. The Fleet Corporation at
present is subordinate to the Ship
ping Board, and its important acts
are passed upon by the board. But
IL the corporation is to become dis
tinct from the board, its head will be