Ninth Annual Report OF THE UNITED STATES SHIPPING BOARD Fiscal Year Ended June 30 1925 WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1925 TAE UNITED STATES SHIPPING BOARD T V OCoN o Chairman EDWARD C PL E Vin Chairman WDA W S BENSON Commieaim BEET E HANEY Commiuio r wvL m S HEL Commieeioan MEYER LWNEE Commiuia rMDERim T TEOEPEON Commiamiaaer ROY H MoE ILJ SwdlarV TABLE OF CONTENTS I UNITED STATES SHIPPING BOARD Page Letter of transmittal v Organization 3 General 3 Bureau of Traffic 17 Bureau of Regulation 45 Bureau of Operat ions 48 Industrial relations division 48 Piers and wharves division 54 Investigations division 56 Port facilities division 57 Bureau of Construction 60 Bureau of Law 82 Bureau of Finance 96 Bureau of Research 97 Legal department 138 Litigation division 98 Contracts opinions recoveries and special assignments division 103 Admiralty division 104 Secretary 106 II UNITED STATES SHIPPING BOARD EMERGENCY FLEET CORPORATION Page Officers of the corporation 115 General manager 116 Department of investigation 116 Statistical department 116 Secretary 117 Operations 118 Radio section 119 Disability and vessel personnel section 120 Revenue and expense section 121 Contract division 121 Stevedoring and terminals division 122 Purchase and supply division 123 Maintenance and repair division 129 Traffic 136 Traffic department 136 European and Mediterranean trades division 137 South American and Nest Indies trades division 138 Far East and longvoyage trades division 140 Passenger and mails division 142 Claims division 143 III Iv TABLE OF CONTENTS TrafficContinued Page Inland offices division r 144 Chartering division 144 Advertising department 144 Finance 145 General comptrollers department 146 Treasurers department 149 Marine insurance department 161 Construction department 162 Ship sales department 162 Laidup fleet division 168 United States Protection and Indemnity Agency Inc 174 Foreign offices 176 United States Lines 179 APPENDIX TAmE I Vessel property controlled by the United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation as of June 30 1925 182 II Status of vessels controlled by United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation as of June 30 195 183 III Recapitulation of vessels owned or controlled by the United States Shipping Board segregated according to type fuel used and dead weight tonnage as of June 30 192i 184 IV Managing operators managers and operators and charterers of Shipping Board vessels as of June 30 1925 186 V Statement of vessels assigned to passenger and cargo service maintained by the United States Shipping Board as of June 30 1925 1S7 VI An analysis of the total vessel property acquired by the United States Shipping Board showing disposition of same as of June 30 1925 190 VII Accomplishments and disposition of billed accounts receivable fiscal year ended June 30 1925 197 VIII Summarized consolidated cash statement by appropriation for the fiscal year ended June 30 1925 198 IX Balance sheet as of June 30 1925 203 X Gross appropriations and allotments from inception to July 1 1925 206 XI Statement of profit and loss excluding liquidation fiscal year 1925 208 XII Report of litigation for period June 28 1924June 27 1925 209 XIII a Employees of the United States Shipping Board who were separated during the fiscal year ended June 30 1925 211 b Compensation of employees of United States Shipping Board in service on June 301925 211 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL UNITED STATES SIIIPPIND BOARD Washington D C December 1 1925 To the Congress In compliance with section 12 of the shipping act 1916 we have the honor to transmit herewith the ninth annual report of the United States Shipping Board and the United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation covering the fiscal year ended June 30 1925 T V OCoNNOn Chairman EDWARD C PLUMMER Vice Chairman W S BENSON Commissioner BERT E IIANET Commissioner WILLIAM S HILL Commissioner DIExEn LIss Commissioner JDIIN H WALSH Commissioner PART I UNITED STATES SHIPPING BOARD i UNITED STATES SHIPPING BOARD ORGANIZATION On July 1 1924 the Shipping Board consisted of the following members T V OConnor chairman Great Lakes appointed a member June 9 1921 term five years qualified June 15 1921 Edward C Plummer vice chairman Atlantic coast qualified June 14 1921 term three years reappointed May 23 1924 term to expire June 8 1930 qualified June 3 1924 Frederick I Thompson Gulf coast served under recess appointment from December 1 1920 to March 4 1921 qualified June 13 1921 term two years re appointed June 9 1923 and served under recess appointment until January 28 1924 when he was appointed for a term of six years Meyer Lissner Pacific coast term one year qualified June 16 1921 reappointed June 13 1922 term six year W S Benson At lantic coast served under recess appointment from December 1 1920 to March 4 1921 term one year qualified June 13 1921 re appointed June 13 1922 term six years Bert E Haney Pacific coast appointed July 1 1923 qualified July 2 1923 serving under recess appointment until January 28 1924 when he was reappointed for the unexpired term of four years from June 9 1921 and re appointed for a term of six years from June 9 1925 William S Hill from the Interior appointed to serve unexpired term of A D Lasker resigned qualified February 1 1924 term to expire June 8 1927 During the year the board held 116 meetings in addition to many special hearings conducted either by the board or by committees thereof Carl P Iiremer secretary of the Shipping Board resigned ef fective March 15 1925 and was succeeded by Roy H Merrill ap pointed efrective April 1 1925 GENERAL The scheme of organization and functions of the United States Shipping Board have remained practically unchanged since the last annual report Its work under the shipping act of 1916 and the merchant marine act of 1920 is clearly defined and divides itself into three distinct headings 1 Regulatory and promotional 2 M 72 3 4 NINTH ANNUAL REPORT UNITED STATES SHIPPING BOARD maintenance and operation of the Government merchant fleet 3 liquidation The board has kept constantly in mind the mandate of Congress expressed in the merchant marine act 1920 as defining the goal toward which we are to aim and expressed in the preamble thereof as follows That it is necessary for the national defense and for the proper growth of its foreign and domestic commerce that the United States shall have a mer chant marine of the best equipped and most suitable types of vessels sufficient to carry the greater portion of its commerce and serve as a naval or military auxiliary in time of war or national emergency ultimately to be owned and operated privately by citizens of the United States and it is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States to do whatever may be necessary to develop and encourage the maintenance of such a merchant marine and in so far as may not be inconsistent with the express provisions of this act the United States Shipping Board shall in the disposition of vessels and shipping Property as hereinafter provided in the making of rules and regulations and in the administration of the shipping laws keep always in view this pnrpose and object as the primary end to be obtained Regulatory and Promotional The boards organization is divided into seven bureaus namely Bureau of Traffic Bureau of Operations Bureau of Construction Bureau of Law Bureau of Research Bureau of Regulation and Bureau of Finance the details of which are submitted herewith besides committees of the board dealing with such matters as dieselization of ships ship sales codification of navigation laws registration and transfer of ships construction loan fund claims etc Some of the functions consist of dealing with the charter of United States ships to aliens rules for registry recording of titles rules and regulations affecting shipping rules for income tax deductions investigative functions cost of building here and abroad advantages and disadvantages of operating vessels under American and foreign registry rules for construction and classifica tion here and abroad marine insurance navigation laws and rules thereunder status of mortgage loans discriminatory practices and penalties provided discrimination by foreign governments against United States vessels study of ship routes necessary for American commerce mail payments on essential routes advise Interstate Com merce Commission as to railroad rates or practices inimical to the flow of American commerce administration of construction loan fund and the general promotional work of the board in the upbuild ing of an American merchant marine The board is proceeding in the full development of these functions Each bureau is under the supervision of a commissioner After the preliminary and advisory work on any subject has been com NINTH ANNUAL REPORT UNITED STATES SHIPPING BOARD pleted by a bureau the recommendations thereon may be reported to the entire board for action The broad regulatory and quasi judicial powers of the board extend to the American merchant marine as a whole whether pri vately or publicly owned Among the functions in this group may be mentioned a Prevention of all unfair practices including payment of deferred rebates use of fighting ships or resort to discriminating methods or contracts b Requiring the filing of copies of agreements fixing rates or any memoranda of facts c Altering rates or fares to correct discriminations d To report to the President cases of discriminations by foreign governments against the American merchant marine e To determine whether a United States vessel