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4 i ; c. 4 3 3 2 4 eT ee ORT ek PN ae eee Discussing the Question of Load Line Legislation By Norman F. Titus stantly undergoing develop- ment, just the same as practi- cally every other line of human en- deavor. The increase in size and speed of ships, with the growing im- portance of liner service, are intro- ducing new problems and emphasiz- ing old ones. The operation of ships brings into play three principles: First, the en- deavor of the owner to obtain a profit; second, the shipper to secure adequate service with proper care and custody of goods entrusted to the owner, and, third, the insistence of the public upon safety of life and property at sea. The complete achievement of these three purposes can only be accomplished through the aid of government. Government regulation is a bene- ficient function if applied with. wis- dom. No one now denies the great benefits to the public and the rail- roads themselves obtained through the regulation made possible by the Interstate Commerce act. Further- more, the regulation of national banks is an acknowledged necessity. Shipping already has many forms of regulation, some of it introduced to correct former abuses. Our navi- gation laws abound with provisions due to conditions present in sailing- ship days. For instance, there is a table specifying the quantity of all kinds of food to be supplied on the different days of the week and there is also in effect the mandate to have weights and measures available to determine the quantity of food sup- plied. Another -series of regulations is found in the operation of the steam- boat inspection law. Under this law every United States vessel must have a certificate giving full particulars concerning the ship, the conditions of Operation and the complement of crew. Furthermore, the vessel is in- spected as to hull, machinery and all appurtenances at least once a year. The officers of the ship function un- der license of the inspection service. Many other rules abound for opera- tion of the ships. Again, now as traffic rules are necessary for highway traffic, so are T shipping business is con- An address delivered by Mr. Titus, general manager of the New York- New Jersey Business Associates, Inc.. before the Propeller club of San Fran- cisco and the San Francisco chamber of commerce. rules provided for sea traffic. In 1890 the President of the United States called an international con- ference in Washington which drew up the present rules of the road at sea. Herein is provided the system of whistles and lights now in vogue, internationally, together with other rules concerning, for instance, oper- ating in a fog. It is apparent from these few in- stances that regulation of shipping is carried on very extensively. It is strange that legislation concerning loading of vessels has only just been enacted in the United States. As early as 1875 Samuel Plimsoll agitated in the British parliament and forced the passage of legislation re- quiring vessels entering or leaving British ports to have a fixed mark designating maximum loading. The British board of trade was given very broad powers in enforcing the pro- visions. After the enactment of the first British law in 1875, practically all other important maritime nations soon passed load line legislation. During all this period vessels of the United States have been plying in and out of foreign ports under suf- ferance, as they had no load line marks as none was required by this country. Under date of March 2, 1929, a load. line law was passed, becoming effective Sept. 2, 1930, which estab- lished load lines for United States vessels of 250 gross tons and over, engaged in the foreign trade. The secretary of commerce was designat- ed to promulgate the necessary regu- lations to make the law effective. In February, 1928, Herbert Hoo- ver, then secretary of commerce, an- ticipated the impending legislation and decided to call upon the marine industry to recommend to the secre- tary of commerce the necessary regu- lations. To this end he appointed the United States load line commit- tee consisting of representatives from the following interests: Atlantic coast shipowners, Pacific coast ship- owners, American Bureau of Ship- ping, shipbuilders, marine under- writers, shipping board, tanker own- ers, department of commerce and the bureau of navigation. The _ princi- ple involved in the appointment of this committee was purely one of self-government and is one outstand- ing example of the co-operation of in- dustry with government. The load line committee investi- MARINE REVIEw—July, 1931 gated the subject for two years and recommended rules to the secretary of commerce which were subsequent- ly adopted and promulgated Sept. 2, 1930, for vessels in the foreign trade. These regulations were accompanied by complete maps specifying, also, weather zones affecting shiploading. In the summer of 1930 the repre- sentatives of 380 countries met in formal conference in London and, on July 5, signed a convention on load lines. This convention was ratified by our senate Feb. 27, 1931. This represents the first attempt ever made to regulate the loading of ves- sels by international agreement. In a general way it may be stated that the convention applies to all ships belonging to countries which ratify the convention, when such ships are engaged on international voyages. It is felt that the convention will re- sult in better designs of ships and in vessels being better suited for their trades. These vessels will em- body greater safety with no economic disadvantage. At the present time a bill estab- lishing load lines in the coastwise trade is before congress and possibly will pass at the next session. In anticipation of this impending legis- lation the load line committee is studying the situation very carefully, preparatory to making recommenda- tions to the secretary of commerce. Retiring Director Honored At Testimonial Dinner Julius P. Meyer, upon the oceca- sion of his retirement from the Ham- burg-American line after 42 years of service, was tendered a testimonial dinner by 110 international shipping men in New York on June 3. Mr. Meyer’s first connection with the Hamburg-American line dates back to 1888 when he entered the employ of Kunhardt & Co. who were general agents for the line and of which firm his father was a mem- ber for many years. He entered the service of the Hamburg-American line in January, 1889 when the company opened its own office in New York. After vari- ous promotions he became assistant to the general manager, and in 1912 was appointed vice director. After the war, the Hamburg-American line resumed operation in 1920, under agreement for a joint service with the United American lines. In 1926, the Hamburg-American line took over the ships and the en- tire operating organization of the United American lines, (Harriman group of shipping interests) at which time Mr. Meyer was appointed, to- gether with Emil Lederer and C. J. Beck, a member of the executive board of directors in New York.