Evening star., 1925-11-18
CONFEREES FAVOR
SHIPPING SUBSIDY
Abolition of Present Board
and Shifting of Powers to
Cabinet Is Recommended.
w the Associated Press.

/
/ W the Associated Press
Government subsidy for America n
shipping and virtual abolition OF the
Shipping Board were recommended
yesterday by the National Mercha
| Marine Conference called by the
. United States Chamber Of Commerce.
/ The conferences action will he
| brought to the attention II Congress
at the coming session.
The conference. In Il report adopt ed
after con siderable opposition and after
a minority substitute had been de
feated. suggested that the subsidy he
effected through payments to steam
ship lines for maintenance of services
10 particular trade regions and
through issuance of mail contracts. 1t
recommended also that Federal aid
for merchant ships OF types required
primarily for military or naval re
serve and postal purposes should be
provided for In appropriations for
those services.
The Shipping Board as now consti.
tuted should be dismantled. the re
port decla red. and in it's place erected
a board OF three members. with semi
judicial and regulatory duties. The
conference recommended transfer to
the Commerce Department Of the
present hoard's functions of promoI.
ing shipping. II also suggested that
executive administration "f the Coy.
ernment feet and sale OF ships he
transferred To tn. Emergency Fleet
Corporation. the president nf which
would he under The supervision OF "A
national advisory board appointed 10y
the chief Executive. with cabinet
member as It's chairman.
South Opposes Plan.
To aupplant the present regional
representation on the Shipping BOARD
the conference recommended crea tion
OF regional advisory boards 10 ST
with the national board in determir
/ ing policies affecting the various sec
tious. To the regional and national
boards the conference would dele
gate power 70 administer any subsidy
plan authorized.
Early in the day the conference
was notified by spokesman for
South Atlantic shipping interests
that those States would carry to
Congress il necessary the fight to
pres erve regional representation on
; The Shipping BOARD. r. s. Mac CElwee.
commissioner ~ port development at
Charleston. defended the present or
ganization Of the board as vital to
proper expansion of shipping.
The conference report attacked as
''unsound in theory and unworks hIe
in practice the attempt to combine
! in the Shipping Board semi judicial
regulatory duties. responsibility for
! promotion of shipping and executive
! functions Of administering and dis
posing of the Government-owne cd
feet
Opposition To any form OF subsidy
came largely from labor representa-.
tives in the conference and from
! former Senator Atlee Pomerene OF
Ohio. who contended that IL would
serve only to delay restoration Of the
! American merchant marine. Mr..
! Pomerene asserted that President
| Harding. who advocated ship sub.
! sidy had been unable even to obta in
! vote on II in the Senate and he
| drew the delegates attention TO the
| statement by Secretary Hoover Mon
! day that further agitation for sub
! sidv was useless.
Preferential Rates Urged.
/ Inclusion in the report Of recon-
| mendation that the teeth" Of the
! merchant ma arine act of 1920 he no,
! employed. but that the right 10 their
! use he retained. evoked heated dis
/ cussion. Mr. Pomerene declared an
J American merchant marine could he
| developed only through allowin G
! preferential rail rates TO shipments
| carried In American bottoms and
! 1iscriminstorv duties in favor Of such
! goods. He contended that the word =
! ing Of the act made il ma andatory for
! the President to put those provisions
| into effect and charged that Prasi =
: dents Wilson. Harding and Coolid &c
! ignored the law.
Ira Campbell. general counsel of
, the American Steamship Owners
Associa tion. argued that the provi
! sions. il placed in effect. would re-
! act harmfully to this country. He
, also defended the recommended tion
! for a subsidy. asserting the Govern :
ment would be called upon to pay
| only about half the sum IL now loses
! in its opera ton of ships.
| 4 recommendation that a Fedora
maritime workers compensa ton act
! be passed as protection for American
! seamen was opposed by Andrew
| F'uruseth. president OF the Interna =
| tional Sea mems Union.
, The conference decisions will bs
/ submitted TO the board of directors
| of the Chamber of Commerce. who
/ are able tC decide whether to submit
! 1t to referendum Of member cham
! hers or to send 1T direct to President
| Coolidge and Congress