EXCERPTS FROM HEARINGS.
competition in Australia on prices, but that “we can not compete
with them on freight rates.”
Frank L. Moore, president of the American Paper &amp; Pulp Association,
 New York Citv. stated :

309

Then, there is the question of lack of shipping facilities. Our shipping facilities
 have been such that I had a man tell me this morning that our export
business is being greatly hampered at the Present time on account of our not
being able to obtain adequate shipping space.

In this connection, P. H. W. Ross, president of the National Marine
League of the United States of America, New York City, read from
bis memorandum. as follows:

This country only exports 5 per cent of its products and even that trifling
percentage of export is obstructed by innumerable difficulties attendant upon
sur lack of control of the ocean transportation of our goods. -
Mercer P. Moseley, of the New York Commercial, New York City,
thought that—
¥ * * the outstanding fact that our shipping facilities are such as to invite
the most serious consideration is patent. We need ships and we have got to
aave ships. Who will furnish them? I do not believe that the export trade of
America, as large as it may come to be, will ever achieve its full fruition until
hrough the adoption of some plan ships flying the stars and stripes shall be
~ommon in every port in the world.
M. W. Merz, of the First and Old Detroit National Bank, Detroit,
Mich., also described his difficulties in financing operations in the
shipment of goods to South America. In shipments to all other
countries, he said, a through bill of lading issued at Detroit would
support the bill of exchange, but on shipments to South America an
ocean bill of lading is demanded. He said:
I was wondering whether the Government could not bring that about, that the
South American countries would be influenced in that respect so that they
would allow goods to be moved from the interior of the United States to South
America on a through bill of lading against an exchange of the ocean bill of
-ading at the port of destination. You know Germany can do that. They ship
Irom the interior right through, via Hamburg or Bremen, to South America,
Very often the present practice discourages business, because we have to send
the stuff to New York and get an ocean bill of lading and get it back, and in the
meantime we miss the boat on which the goods were to go, and. there is trouble
right there, and unnecessary delay.
Edward Cookingham, of the Ladd &amp; Tilton Bank, Portland, Oreg.,
in regard to the lumber industry, said:
{ think that one of the things we need is transportation facilities. We need a
merchant marine to get our products to foreign markets. That is one of our
nrimest needs.

C. A. Malboeuf, manager of the Western Fruit Distributers’ A'ssoriation.
 Portland, Oreg.. stated that:

The first, in so far as Oregon needs are concerned, is direct steamer transportation
 from our ports here, from Portland, not only to the Atlantic seaboard,
charging adequate rates, but also to all the other foreign markets that we have
heen able to reach in the past, as well as those we have not been able to reach.
Henry W. Louis, secretary and treasurer of the Brownstein-Louis
Co.. Los Angeles, Cal., said:

Our principal obstacle, so far as I can judge it, 1s the question of transportation,
 and I believe that if the Government would go- strenuously to work in the
way of assisting the extension of the shipping of this country it would help
us considerable. We can not ship goods because we have no shioping facilities