1/ Data contained in this colum are average sailings as of April 30, 1948. Portugal and Spain. Genoa, Trieste, Piraeus, Istanbul, Izmir. Irregular do do do do Semi-monthly do do 165 The establishment of rates, rules, regulations, and practices for or in connection with the transportation of cargo by carriers operating regular liner services in foreign trade usually is controlled by conferences or associations of the ocean carriers engaged in the particular trade. Section 15 of the Shipping Act of 1916 requires that agreements forming such conferences be submitted to the United States Maritime Commission for its approval before becoming lawfully effective. Copies of approved agreements setting forth the scope of the various conferences may be obtained from the United States Maritime Commission. A conference is a voluntary association of ocean-going common carriers engaged in the transportation of water-borne commerce on regular schedules in well defined trade areas. Broadly speaking, its principal purpose is to fix and regulate ocean freight rates and other charges and conditions for or in connection with the transportation of cargo direct or by transhipment. Most agreements are prefaced by statements similar to the following: "The parties hereto associate themselves for the common good of shippers and carriers by providing just and economical cooperation between the steamship lines operating in the trade as well as stabilization of freight rates in the interest of shippers and carriers alike." Such organizations are presided over by a chairman or other official elected by the members. Members designate a secretary to keep the minutes of all meetings including votes on all matters. Usually members pledge themselves, their agents, principals, associates, or subsidiaries to refrain from unjustly discriminating against, or making any discount, rebate, or return of any description to any shipper, contractor, broker, or consignee to whom the payment of such compensation might serve as a rebate, refund, or preferential consideration in violation of the agreement. The expense of such organization is shared equally by the membership. Meetings are usually held once a month, although emergency meetings may be called at any time upon request of any member. Most conference agreements provide penalties for violations of rules and regulations and in many cases members are required to post bond which may, in whole or in part, be forfeited if a member is found guilty of violating the agreement. Agreements have provisions for the admittance of new members and the withdrawal of present members and, if reasonable cause is shown, for expulsion of an offending party. As a general rule, individual conferences do not require unanimous vote on all matters. Usually ordinary routine business and, in some instances, matters involving tariffs, freights, freight brokerage, etc., are not subject to unanimous vote. On the other hand, modification of the conference agreements, decision affecting policy, and other similar matters must have unanimous approval before they become effective. Definitions of terms.- Associate member.- "A line, not a regular conference member, operating a service parallel to that of conference members, agreeing to observe conference rates, rules, regulations, and conditions on traffic which it handles in the trade covered by the conference agreement." Associated Line.- "A line, not a conference member, operating a service between a port or ports from or to which the conference agreement applies and an intermediate port, agreeing to observe conference rates, rules, regulations, and conditions on through traffic in the movement of which it participates." Affiliated Lines.- "A line, owned, controlled or affiliated with a conference member and by the terms of the conference agreement bound to the observances of conference rates, rules, regulations, and conditions on traffic which it handles in the trade covered by the conference agreement." STEAMSHIP FREIGHT CONFERENCES Approved conference and related agreements, pursuant to Section 15 of the Shipping Act, 1916, on file with the United States Maritime Commission, Washington, D. C., as of February 20, 1948, list the following conferences: United Kingdom No. 5850 North Atlantic Westbound Freight Association McDiarmid & Co., Secretaries, Cunard Building, Liverpool 3, England. Covers freight traffic from Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the No. 7100 North Atlantic United Kingdom Freight Conferences Covers freight traffic from U.S. North Atlantic Ports in the Hampton Roads/ Portland, Maine, range to England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State. Continental Europe No. 138 North Atlantic Spanish Conference F. Rothe, Chairman, 82 Beaver St., New York 5, N.Y. Covers freight traffic from U.S. North Atlantic ports to Atlantic and No. 2846 The West Coast of Italy and Sicilian and Adriatic ports/North C. C. Biancheri, Secretary, Via Santi Giocoma e Filippo 31, Genoa, Italy Covers freight traffic from West Coast of Italy ports-between Ventimiglia and Reggio Calabria and Sicilian ports and ports on the Adriatic Sea to U. S. North Atlantic ports. No. 4490 North Atlantic Continental Freight Conference C. R. Andrews, Secretary, 80 Broad St., New York 4, N.Y. Covers freight traffic from U.S. North Atlantic ports (Portland, Maine/Hampton Roads Range) to ports in Belgium, Holland, and Germany (Excluding German Baltic). No. 5300 Norway/North Atlantic Conference c/o Wilh. Wilhelmsen, 20 Toldbodgaten, Oslo, Norway. Covers freight traffic from Norway to U.S. Atlantic ports. No. 5660 Marseilles/North Atlantic U.S.A. Freight Conference C. C. Biancheri, Secretary, Via Santi Giacoma e Filippio 31 Genoa, Italy Covers freight traffic from Marseilles, France, to U.S. Atlantic Coast ports. No. 7000 Continental North Atlantic Westbound Freight Conference H. G. Mulder, Secretary, 12 Albeelstraat, The Hague, Holland Covers freight traffic except Swiss traffic, from or via the ports of Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands in the range between Hamburg and boundary line of Belgium and France, to U. S. North Atlantic ports in the Hampton Roads/Portland, Maine, range. No. 7350 Spain-Portugal North Atlantic Range Conference R. Garcia-Vitros, Secretary, Balmes 181, Barcelona, Spain Covers transportation of cargo from Spanish ports in the Port-Bou/River No. 7560 North Atlantic Portuguese Freight Conferences E. A. McDonnell, Secretary, c/o James W. Elwell & Co., Inc., 17 State St., New York 4, N.Y. Covers freight traffic from U. S. North Atlantic ports in the Hampton No. 7670 North Atlantic Baltic Freight Conference C. R. Andrews, Secretery-Traffic Manager, 80 Broad St., New York 4, N.Y. Covers freight traffic from U.S. North Atlantic ports in the Hampton Roads/ Portland, Maine, range either direct or via transhipment, to ports in Danzig free state, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and to Continental and Russian ports served via the Baltic. No. 7770 North Atlantic French Atlantic Freight Conference C. R. Andrews, Secretary-Traffic Manager, 80 Broad St., New York 4, N.Y. Covers freight traffic from U.S. North Atlantic ports in the Hampton Roads/ Portland, Maine, range to French Atlantic ports in the Dunkirk/Bordeau range. No. 7810 French North Atlantic Westbound Freight Conference Covers transportation of cargo of French origin moving via French Atlantic ports in the Bayonne/Dunkirk range to U.S. North Atlantic ports in the Hampton Roads/Portland, Maine, range. No. 7980 North Atlantic Mediterranean Freight Conference |