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Show HOUSE 10 SEMITE CONFEREES AGREE Foreign built Vessels May Enter Coastwise Trade of the U S WASHINGTOV Aug 1 Opening of the coastw se ade of t e Un ed States o fore gn bu 1 vesse 5 adm tted to Amer lean reg s ry during he next two years under the pend ng Panama cana act amendment was agreed upon tonight by the house and senate conferees A such proposa s have been bitter y fought by sh pplng and sh pbu d ng nterests and presentation of the conference report to morrow Is expected to precipitate vigor ous oppos tlon n both nouses The amendment as t passed the house des gned as an emergency measu e to qu ck y en arge the 4mer can mer chan marne and fac litate the movement of expor s wh e f o e gn shlpp ng s t ed p by the European war wou d author ze t e pres dent n h s d scret on to adm t to Amer can registrj fo e gn bu t sh ps not over f ve years old the senate added amendments to admit such sh ps to the trade between A antic and Pac f c por s of the Un ted States and on the gu f and great lakes and from these grew the p an agreed upon ton ght There has been some Questlo about the right to change the regis er of a sh p owned by a be gerent in t me of war but this was set at rest today by a for mal dec sion of Cone Johnson so c tor of the state department Mr Johnson po nted out that the re qu rements of Inte na onal law demand that no transfer of a vese sha 1 be made In a blockaded port or wh e the sh p s on the high seas In h s opinion how ever w th this m tat on t s mp y is necessary that the sa e be made n good fa th with no intent on o evade tl e consequences to wh ch an enemy vesse wou d be exposed and w t no under stand ng expressed or tacit, that the vesse s to be retransferred after hos t es Government insurance for vessels which take the risk of carrying Ame can ex port trade under the war cond ons now preva ent n Europe would be p ov ded by a b 1 introduced in the house today by Representat ve Lew s of Maryland It wou d estab sh a bureau of ma ne n surance in the department of commerce Representative Lew s suggested that no matter what egls ative act on might be ta en to provide sh ps to carry the Amer can export t ade the insu ance rates quoted by the marine insurance com pan es would proh bit the sh pp ng of or d nary cargoes |