Evening star., 1925-11-15
ACTION IN SHIPPING
MIDDLE PLANNED
Senator Jones 10 Propose
Divorce of Fleet and
Board in Bill.

A more definite policy for the per-
manent establishment of an Amer!-
can overseas merchant marine must
be established in the opinion of Sena-
! chairman of the state Committee on
tor Wesley l.. Jones OF Washington
chairman Of the Senate committee on
| commerce, wlro has just returned to
the Capital from the Pacific Coast.
! The problem. he said YESTERDAY.
! should be handled by Congress at it's
| coming session.
! In the interest OF efficient operation
Of the GoVernment-owned merchant
! feet. Senator Jones said he proposed
| TO introduce a bin similar to one ne
| introduced in the last Congress,
| amending the merchant marine act OF
| 1920 by separating the Shipping
Board and the Emergency Fleet Tor
poration and turning over TO the lat
! ter the operation Of the fleet.
The Shipping Board would retain
| its semi Judicial and regulatory func-
! tons. and also would he called upon
! to lay down broad general policy in
the interests of the American mer-
chant marine. 1t would also have su-
! thority to say what routes should he
! continued and what discontinued 50
! far as the Government fleet is CON
| cerned. Senator ZONES bill IS in line
with the recommendations made hv
| President Coolidge in his last annual
| message to Congress.
To Meet President
The Senator from Washington Will
| call upon the President al the White
| House tomorrow to pay his respects.
II is possible that the entire shipping
| situation, including the recent differ
ences between the President and the
Shipping Board, will be discussed.
Senator Jones was one OF those Who
two years ago advised the President
that the operation of the Government
fleet should be handled through the
Fleet Corporation, and that the Ship
ping Board should conf1ne itself TO its
other duties under the law. He still
| believes, he said. as he did then, that
the operation of the fleet should lie
f, left to the corporation, with a single
executive head. directly responsible 10
the President and not To the Shipping
| Board. The time has come he said.
| when the duties and authorities of the
Shipping Board and the Fleet Corpora
| tion should be separated and defined
| by law.
Senator Jones is particularly inter
! ested, however. in the continuance OF
| the American merchant ma rine in the
| foreign trade. The greatest problem
! today, in his opinion. is provision for
the replacement of the ships now en-
| gagged in trade under the American
flag after they have become obsolete.
! He is more concerned. he said, that
in selling its ships 10 private Amerl-
cans for operation the Government
| should have some kind of guarantee
| that the routes will be maintained
! after il has become necessary to re-
place the ships now purchased than
in the price obtained for them. In
| his view the sale nf GhinS merely
| with a fve-year guarantee of opera
| ton on the present routes does not
meet the requirements. He would
rather sell the ships for less money.
| he said, if necessary. to get some
agreement that they would be re-
placed.
Wants Service Developed.
What 1 am anxious to bring
| about" said Senator Jones, lis the
development of an overseas American
merchant marine that Will not retire
! from the seas as soon as the present
ships are worn out. or at the end of
a fve-year guaranty period. If the
purchasers of the Government ships
determine not to continue. The
ships of today must be replaced.
either by private owners or by the
Government if the American mer-
chant marine is to live. l think that
the time Is come 10 give very GeHHltc
consideration to this feature OF the
merchant marine problem
Senator Jones said that shipping,
mercantile, industrial and agricultural
| interests Of this country should get to-
| gether in conference and thrash out
the matter of Government air 10 mer-
| chant shipping if there is to be any
proposal for such aid. Only when the
| country Is convinced thoroughly that
| the maintenance of the American mer-
chant marine is necessary for Ameri-
| can commerce and for national de-
fense, and that it can be had perma-
! nently better through Government aid
| than through Government operation
will there be any chance of legislation
! for such aid to shipping, he said.
Opposes Present Attitude.
| Too many Americans. in the opinion
| of Senator Jones. today look with in
| difference or even with hostility upon
| the American merchant marine in the
| overseas trade. Those who are hostile
have interests in foreign shipping or
! in the development of foreign ship
! ping, so that foreign nations may ths
| better pay their commercial obliga-
| tions to the United States.
CT pATRIrK pI AYERS