Resigning over Rates

The U.S. Maritime Administration last week conceded what many U.S. businessmen have known for a long time: it costs as much as 50% more for U.S. exporters to ship goods abroad than it costs for other nations to send comparable goods to the U.S. Out numbered in the shipping conferences that set the rates, American lines have usually gone along with the higher out bound rates set by foreign shippers. Alarmed at the disparity, Congress prodded the Maritime Administration into studying the matter, is now likely to insist that the maritime regulatory agencies use their power to force shipping conferences to set fairer rates.

Since this is certain to be a drawn-out and perhaps fruitless affair, Illinois Senator Paul Douglas last week pointedly praised a short cut to fairer fares. Fortnight ago two U.S. lines -- Lykes Bros, and Bloomfield -- quit an Atlantic conference in order to set their own lower outbound rates, and last week some of their European competitors were forced to pull out to match the new rates. Douglas would like the Mar itime Administration to consider with holding subsidies from any American lines that fail to do Lykeswise.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.