DECISION DELAYED

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20957, 9 November 1939, Page 7

DECISION DELAYED

SHOWDOWN POSTPONED DISPUTE IN CONGRESS SPLIT WITHIN RANKS (United Press Assn. — Elec. Tel. Copyright) WASHINGTON, Nov. 7

As the result of a telephone call from President Roosevelt, the Maritime Commission delayed the decision to transfer the ships, owned by the United States Line to the Panamarian registry, thus postponing a showdown on the conflict raging within the official family of Congress on the subject.

The first intimation of a split within the Administration ranks was the sharply-conflicting statements of Mr Roosevelt and Mr Hull. The President ordered that approval should be temporarily withheld, merely on technical grounds which he stressed were not connected with the Neutrality Act, but Mr Hull declared that the procedure was an outright violation of the spirit of the neutrality law. It was apparent that Mr Roosevelt was not aware of Mr Hull’s attitude when he issued his own statement. Later, when pressmen brought Mr Hull’s statement to his attention, Mr Roosevelt declined to comment, on the ground that he had not been officially notified. Violent Opposition Expressed

Mr Hull said he gave tentative approval yesterday, due to the failure of the Maritime Commission to provide full information. Later, when he realised the full import of the proposal, he telephoned the commission expressing violent opposition. Whether the latter action caused the Maritime Commission’s midnight withdrawal of its approval is not revealed.

Isolationist Senators, including Mr G. P. Nye, Mr Bennett C. Clark, Mr Hiram Johnson (California) and Mr Robert Taft, assailed the Administration for even considering the proposal. Mr Nye asserted the Senate would not have passed the new neutrality law if it had known such action was contemplated. The president of the United States Lines Company denied any attempt to evade the neutrality law, and pleaded that American shippers would be seriously handicapped if the proposal were rejected. President’s Explanation Mr Roosevelt explained later that the transfer of the ships had been postponed pending the clarification of two points of the merchant marine law which may be applicable, namely the provision preventing the sale of American ships considered important for national defence, or the purchase of the entire American lines to eliminate competition.