Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1920-04-25 | Page 8 | Report Pool of Ocean Rates

QFDCEANRATES' 1 American and Foreign Ship Owners in Conference to Avoid Competition WASHINGTON. April 24. Shipping-board Shipping-board officials today refused to discuss dis-cuss reports that representatives of American and foreign steamship com-' panics had agreed at a conference at; the shipping board to effect a pooling, of ocean rates from all American ! j ports under tho board's supervision, 1 thus eliminating competition. 1 I Chairman Benson said no report of 1 the conference had yet reached him, ! but that he knew "that something of the sort wa3 going on." , i W. F. TayJor, assistant, director of operations, was in charge of the conference. con-ference. YcBtorday he issued Instructions Instruc-tions that the meeting was ".purely a family affair," and that no publicity was desired. At the first conference on Thursday . it was reported that representatives of the north and south Atlantic re-' glons and the gulf and Pacific coasts reached a decision fixing a differential ' rale on col Ion. the primary' rate on J which would be fixed by interests on the gulf coast. " 1 British, French, Italian and Japanese Japan-ese steamship companies were represented repre-sented at the conference.