Evening star., 1925-03-30
SEE MORE REVENUE
FOR j. S. SHIP LINES
Government Owned Vessels
Eliminate "Fare Rebates"
Which Will Increase Receipts

The United States lines, Govern
ment owned and operated steamship
lines out of New York to North At
lantic ports, will materially increase
their annual revenues this year
through the elimination of fare re-
bates, granted in the past through
the practice of allowing certain
widely known persons to travel at
the minimum rate" but in cabins
which to the general travelling public
are sold at far more than the mini
mum rate.
Under the agreement of the At
lantic conference lines entered into
q a meeting in Paris last November
and effective December IS all the
lines in this conference must make
public mutually the names of pas
sengers receiving the advantages of
the minimum rate" Whether this
VIII lead eventually to full publicity
OF such lists remains to be seen. At
the offices of the Emergency Fleet
Corporation today il was said that
the names, so far as the understand
Ing now goes. would be given merely
to the representatives of the other
companies in the conference agree
ment.
Minimum Rate for OnRcinIs.
Members of Congress and oricials
or the Government alone are granted
the minimum rate privilege by the
United States under the new agree
ment, it was said The practice of
last year and former years, when, in
addition to the Senator'S and Repre-
seEtatives travelling abroad, the min
imum rate privilege was extended to
movie actresses and actors, to certain
prominent Americans and members
of the European nobility, has been
abandoned. Since December 10, it
was said, all these formerly priv
ileged people, with the exception of
members of Congress, have had to
pay the full rate for what they got
on the Government ships
The theory upon which special privi-
lsges were given most of these people
was that the advertising of their pres
ence on certain vessels brought many
other travellers, who would pay the full
fare and swell the list of passengers.
1t was for advertising purposes. But
The new plan is to take the cash and
let the advertising go.
This practice was by no means con-
fined to the Government lines. In fact,
1t is understood that the granting of
special privileges of this character has
been more common on the privately
owned lines The Government mercy
followed suit in the competition for
business.
Members of Congress Classified.
Members of Congress, it was said
today in explanation of the granting
OF minimum rates to them on Govern
ment vessels, are regarded Govern
ment officials. The more members of
Congress learn about the operation of
the ships and the problems which the
American merchant marine faces, the
better, Is the argument.
If the names of members Of Con-
gresS who accept the minimum rate
are to be made public it may result,
however, in some OF them hereafter
paying the full rate for the cabins
they use. Heretofore many of them
have availed themselves of the mini
mum rate privilege.
No estimate of the loss to the Gov
ernment last year through the opera
ton of the minimum rate privilege
was available today, but reports
from Europe indicate that it would
be between 100000 and s250,0o0. $50
President Leigh c. Palmer Of the
Emergency Fleet Corporation said to-
day that an effort was being made to
curtail the privilege of the minimum
rate on the Government vessels
wherever possible; that the Govern
ment was out to get all it could for
the use of its ships. The new con-
ference agreement, he said. would
accomplish much in this direction.