DIVIDED VIEWS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 November 1939, Page 5

DIVIDED VIEWS

CONTROL OF AMERICAN SHIPPING PRESIDENT & SECRETARY OF STATE. STATEMENTS IN SHARP CONFLICT. By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright WASHINGTON.. November 7. As the result of a telephone ctill rrom President Roosevelt 1 Im Altiril ime (’oniniissioii further delayed ils decision to Iransl'er eiglil ships belonging Io I'nited States lines to the I’ai in iii.i nia n registry. thus post |ionint: a showdown on I lie conflict’ raging wit Ilin I he official l<i hi ilv ol (.’ongTOss over 1 h<‘ nintler. The first in- ■ tiination of a split within the Adniinist rat ion ranks was the sharply conflicting’ statements of President Roosevelt and the Sec re fury ol' State, XI r Cordell Hull.

Mr Hull advised the Maritime Commission that ho objects to the transfer of United States ships to the Panamanian registry, because it would impair the integrity of the Neutrality Act.. He expressed the opinion that such a transfer would be an evasion of the spirit, if not the letter, of the Act.

The President ordered that approval be temporarily withheld merely on technical grounds. which he stressed were not connected with neutrality. but Mr Hull made the charge that the procedure was an outright violation of the spirit of the neutrality law.

It was apparent that President Roosevelt was unaware of Mr Hull's attitude when he issued his own statement. Later, when pressmen brought Mr Hull's statement to his attention, President Roosevelt declined to comment. on the ground that he had not been officially notified. President Roosevelt explained that the transfer of the ships was postponed pending the clarification of two points in merchant marine law which might be applicable, namely, the provision preventing the sale of American ships considered important to national defence, or the purchase of entire American lines to eliminate competition. Mr Hull said he gave tentative approval yesterday because of the failure of the Maritime Commission to provide full information. Later, when he realised the full import of the proposal. he telephoned to the commission expressing violent opposition. Whether the latter action caused the Maritime Commission’s midnight withdrawal of approval is not revealed. Isolationist Senators, including Senators Nye. Clark. H. W. Johnson and Taft, .assailed the Administration for even considering the proposal. Senator Nye asserted that the Senate would not have passed the Neutrality Bill if it had known that such action was contemplated by the President. The United States Lines denied any attempt to evade neutrality and pleaded that American shippers would be seriously handicapped if the proposal were rejected.