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Show I1 Senate Action May Be y First Step Toward Big I, Merchant Marine. Washington, Aug. 9. The senate's amendment to the Panama canal bill to admit to "United States registry American owned foreign-built ships engaged in foreign trade only, and las them through the Panama canal fre of tolls, in all probability will re-i re-i cehe no opposition from the adminis- Itration. Secretary Nagel is committed to ihe idea. In his last annual report ho recommended tho passage of a bill for the admission of foreign-built i ocean steamships to American regls- try to engage solely in foreign trade. i This, he believed, would be the be- ginning of an American merchant "marine, "ma-rine, extending shipping under the United States flag In trade with Soutii and Cential America and the West j Indies. The provision, It Is said, , would not affect trans-Atlantic or trans-Pacific commerce, as there will ' be no InccntlA'e for such ships to as- f sume the obligations of Amerlcau reg- Iistry The right of free passage throus'a the canal, however, it is said today h officials of the department of commerce com-merce and labor, probably will bring all the lines engaged In traffic between be-tween the countries of the western hemispero but f lj lng iorelgn flags, under tie Stars and Stripes. The United Fruit company and the New York and Pacific Navigation company were cited as instances With a ote on the Panama canal bill and all amendments to It set for 5 o'clock this evening, the 3cnate began be-gan final consideration of the measure meas-ure with a renewal of the fightagainst railroad-owned ships Tne committee amendment providing provid-ing that a rallronJ-owned essel might pass through the canal provided 50 per cent of Its cargo was destined to f foreign ports, was the chief subject of discussion. Senator Burton of Ohio declared a prohibition against railroad-owned ships from using the canal ca-nal would refetrlct the full development develop-ment of the waterways. The fear that railroads could drive out all other oth-er ships and ultimately control rates could be met fully by adequate laws, he said. Senator Kenyon asked Senator Burton Bur-ton whether ho believed the point had been reached In Amerlcau development whero a regulated monopoly musi be rocognizod In railroad development. "That Is practically it." said Senator Sen-ator Burton "We are near the parting of the ways," said Senator Kenyon, "wheio we rauBt decide between competition for tho railroads or combinations held under the control of tho government Senator Burton said he did not favor fa-vor absolutely free use of the Panama canal by railroad owned Bhlps. He favored fa-vored control by tho Interstate commerce com-merce commission of ships owned oi controlled by railroads Tho granting of free tolls to American Amer-ican vessels engaged In foreign trade, approved yesterday by the senate, was attacked by Senator bodge as likely to be construed by foreign nations as a violation of exlBtlng treaties. "This Is bound iO raise serious uue3tlons with other countries," he said, llo opposed the sweeping restrictions re-strictions of the Panama bill aB It passed the house against the control of steamship lines by railroads. |