PANAMA CANAL TOLLS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1934 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, ON INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10 a.m., in the committee room, New House Office Building, Hon. Clarence Lea (chairman) presiding. Mr. LEA. The committee will please come to order. The hearing this morning is on H.R. 7667, a bill to provide for the measurement of vessels using the Panama Canal, and for other purposes. We will have the bill inserted in the record at this point. [H.R. 7667, 73d Cong., 2d sess.] A BILL To provide for the measurement of vessels using the Panama Canal, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of American in Congress assembled, That the first five sentences of the third paragraph of section 5 of the act of August 24, 1912 (37 Stat. 560, 569), as amended by the act of June 15, 1914) 38 Stat. 385), are hereby amended so as to read as follows: "Tolls on merchant vessels, Army and Navy transport, colliers, hospital ships, supply ships, and yachts shall be based on net vessel tons of actual earning capacity, determined in accordance with the 'Rules for the Measurement of Vessels for the Panama Canal' prescribed by proclamation of the President, November 21, 1913, as amended from time to time by order of the President, and shall not exceed $1 per net vessel-ton so determined, nor be less than 60 cents per net vessel-ton so determined, on laden vessels, and on vessels in ballast without passengers or cargo shall be 40 per centum less than the rate of tolls for vessels with passengers or cargo: Provided, That no charge shall be made for deck load, which is defined, for the purposes of this act, as cargo situated in a space which is at all times exposed to the weather and the sea and which space is not included in the net tonnage determined under the said 'Rules for the Measurement of Vessels for the Panama Canal'. Tolls on other floating craft shall be levied on displacement tonnage at rates to be prescribed by the President. In addition to the tolls based on measurement or displacement tonnage, tolls may be levied on passengers at rates prescribed by the President, but not to exceed $1.50 for each passenger. The levy of tolls is subject to the provisions of article XIX of the convention between the United States of America and the Republic of Panama, entered into November 18, 1903, and of article I of the treaty between the United States of America and the Republic of Colombia, proclaimed March 30, 1922.” SEC. 2. That this Act shall take effect and be enforced on and after January 1, 1936. Mr. LEA. Mr. Smith, of the Panama Canal, is here, and I have asked him to present to the committee the law relating to the Panama Canal tolls, so, if you will proceed in your own way, Mr. Smith, first giving the reporter your full name and position, if you please. 1 |