Evening star., 1924-02-28
ASKS u. s. EXPORTS
co IN own SHIPS
Board Tells !. C. C. Ample
Vessels Available, Except
for Grain Cargoes.

Action designed to obtain for Amer
lean shipping the preferential treat
ment in handling American exports,
which was provided in the merchant
marine act of 1920. was taken yester-
day by the Shipping Board.
The board by resolution certified TO
the Interstate Commerce Commission
that sufficient American ships. are
now available to handle all export
commodities except grain. and that
in consequence American railroads
should be required to make through
export rates in conjunction with
American vessel lines and to refuse
to make such rates with foreign ves-
Sol lines.
Delayed Plan Until Now.
The order will serve to bring into
operation section % Of the merchant
marine act, which gives the Inter-
state Commerce Commits ssion power to
enforce the making of such through
rates on the railroads and likewise
power to prevent the granting Of the
same rates to foreign vessel lines
The section has never previously been
put into effect because the board un-
I'll now has deemed 1t unwiSe to GER
SUFFICIENT number and condition to
Justify the step.
Action of the Interstate Commerce
commission will not be taken I'M.
mediately. but II is expected that in
quiry will be instituted without de-
lay as to the through rate schedules
in existence. Normally. 1t Is under
stood, the through export rate sched-
ules made by ships and railroads in
combination are lower than the tar
IFS imposed when exporters pay a
domestic rail rate to the seaboaru
and an additional separate ship rate
from the American port to the desti-
nation abroad for which The COM
moditfes are consigned.
Thompson Explains Plan.
The commission was informed by
the Shipping Board resolution that
operation of section 3s should not
pc further suspended so far as re-
Iates to all commodities except grain
transported between purtS II the
United States and Great Britain and
Snorthern nr Ireland, and the Irish Free
state, the ports of continental l:u-
rope north of and including ISur-
deaux and the east coast of Asia.
the islands of the Pacific ocean, Aus
tralia and the East India Islands and
the ports of Central and Soutn Amer
ica.''
commissioner Thompson OF the
shipping Board, who proposed the
resolution of certification. declared in
statement that the effect Of the GER
tification, when action had been taken
by the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion, would be to grant shippers
benefit of the through export rate
only when foreign commerce moved
In American. flag vessels In the zones
prescribed in the resolution, COM
merce moving in vessels other than
American registry taking the domes-
tic rail rate to seaboard outlet and
the ocean rate from such seaboard
destination"
The lower rates, said the commits
sioner. would establish a distinct ad-
vantage for the shippers to use Amer
lean flag ships, ''in that, with certain
exceptions, the through export rate
is less than the domestic rate to sea-
board destination with the ocean rate
added"
TT should greatly increase" he
said, "the movement of American
commerce In American flag ships and
prompt wider utilization of American
flag vessels for foreign EXPORTS