MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES SEVENTY-SIXTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON H. R. 4307 A BILL TO EXTEND THE PROVISIONS OF THE SHIPPING IN INTERSTATE COMMERCE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES MARCH 7, 9, AND JUNE 20, 1939 。 ;),་། ་ ོ ༔ Printed for the use of the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries HBP 3 P3 May 54 Ackerson, Eugene, attorney, United States Maritime Commission Barrett, O. Slack, president, Mississippi River System Carriers' Bayless, Herman A., counsel, Mississippi River System Carriers' Brent, Theodore, president, Coast Transportation Co. Glatzmayer, Joseph J., executive vice president, Harbor Carriers of the Hiltner, J. K., chairman, intercoastal and coastwise transportation committee, National Industrial Traffic League.. Johnson, Gilbert R., secretary, Lake Carriers Association.. Newton, Hon. Cleveland, representing Mississippi Valley Association Petersen, Capt. Walter J., representing Pacific American Steamship Ross, John H., president, Inland Water Petroleum Carriers Associa- Smith, Langdon, representing James G. Conway, president of the Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico Tow Boat Association and the Taylor, Frank J., president, American Merchant Marine Institute... Ziegler, Louis, representing the International Longshoremen's Associ- REGULATION OF WATER CARRIERS TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 1939 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES, Washington, D. C. The committee met at 10 a. m., Hon. Schuyler O. Bland (chairman) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. We have met this morning for the consideration of H. R. 4307, a bill which was prepared and introduced by me in an effort to see if, by hearings on a bill of that character, we could not reach some solution of this problem which is confronting this committee and has been before it for a number of years, for the regulation of waterway carriers, and some features of which, also, are before the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. Since the bills were first introduced here, we have had regulation of the intercoastal carriers, providing for minimum rates, and also of the coastwise, leaving the inland waterways solely unregulated, and the time is coming when something has to be done about it and that industry may just as well face it. If we cannot get together on something that is going to be acceptable, the first thing we know they are going to be under the Interstate Commerce Commission, with all of the burdens imposed by the Interstate Commerce Commission. The chairman of the committee has requested an examination of the bill, H. R. 4307, and an analysis thereof by Mr. Ackerson, who was formerly with the Legislative Counsel and, because of his great experience on waterway matters, he has asked that this examination be made particularly as it affects the jurisdictional powers of the Maritime Commission under existing law. This analysis is intended to be purely factual and does not cover any question of policy or the merits or demerits of the policies apparently embodied in the bill. It is understood that the bill is a skeleton proposal intended by the chairman of the committee as a framework which may be modified and completed after an opportunity for full public expression before the committee. For this reason, there is no attempt in this analysis to adhere literally to the words of the bill, but to gather therefrom, in the light of discussions with the chairman and others familiar with the matters involved, the main purposes and the general scheme of the bill in order that those interested may have an adequate basis for discussion of the proposals embodied in the bill and the problems involved therein. It will be remembered that several years ago the Coordinator of Transportation suggested an enlarged Interstate Commerce Commission and that it should be made up in groups, one group for each particular form of transportation; one for the motor carriers, one for 1 |