had hoped to be here. His schedule, and I assume it is the Finance Committee which is keeping him away; he has asked me to raise three questions, which I shall.

Senator Hartke says that you are quoted in a recent issue of Business Week as saying, "I want the American flag flying in every port." May we assume this includes the Great Lakes Ports?

Mrs. BENTLEY. He may certainly assume that. I think that it has been most unfortunate that when the American subsidized lines made the attempt to serve the Great Lakes area, that due to the maritime policies of the country, the situation was so bad it just didn't support the efforts of Moore-McCormick, American Export, and Grace Line, when they did try to give the Great Lakes American-flag service.

I might point out that it was under a former Republican Chairman of the Federal Maritime Board, predecessor to the agency for which I have been nominated, that the Great Lakes area was found to be essential to the trade and commerce of the United States, and essential trade routes under the subsidized program were declared.

If this Nation had properly pursued its maritime activities, it could well have been possible that the subsidized lines who endeavored to serve that area would have been able to maintain the trade routes binding those inland ports to Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean. And hopefully, with a new maritime policy, something along this line can be accomplished.

Senator HART. It has always been my impression a more realistic definition of when a ship was available, if we rejected the, to me, idiotic concept that if there is a ship in the Port in Baltimore, it is available as a bottom for movement of defense materials out of Chicago, we could do a lot more more quickly to generate traffic in a half dozen important areas.

Senator LONG. Are you asking a question, or

Senator HART (continuing). Making a comment.

Senator LONG. The Senator is entitled to his comment.

Senator HART. I will make an additional comment. The study currently underway with respect to the cost savings in the movements of defense procured material out of the Great Lakes Basin will clarify for all of us precisely what, if any, those savings are. I have the feeling that certain judgments reflected in the Baltimore Sun will prove to be highly erroneous.

Mrs. BENTLEY. Well, if

Senator HART. And that existing studies already establish that. Mrs. BENTLEY. If they are, sir, it will not be because of the statements, but the information that was passed on to me by the Military Sea Transportation Service.

Incidentially, I may say I have never been one to shy away when I have been proven wrong.

Senator HART. Good.

Senator COTTON. Will the Senator yield?

Senator HART. Yes.

Senator COTTON. On that point, isn't it principally a decision to be made by the Department of Defense, rather than the Maritime Commission?

Senator HART. I think it is a joint responsibility, premised on the notion that, if you can save the taxpayers money, everybody should join in that effort.

Senator TYDINGS (presiding). I think that is a highly commendable effort.

Senator Inouye?

Senator INOUYE. Mr. Chairman, I regret I cannot remain for the session this morning. I would like to just say I am pleased with the appointment, and I intend to support the nomination of Mrs. Bentley. Yesterday I spent a very enjoyable and fruitful afternoon with the nominee discussing problems peculiar to Hawaii as it relates to the maritime industry, and I am pleased to say that many of our views. coincide, and I look forward to working with Mrs. Bentley.

Mrs. BENTLEY. Thank you, Senator.

Senator TYDINGS. Senator Hart?

Senator HART. The second question of the nominee by Senator Hartke relates to section 212 (e) and (f) of the Merchant Marine Act. Those sections state that the Commission must investigate every instance of a rate that is higher out than in on the same or a similar commodity between the same two ports. And it charges the Commission to recommend to Congress measures by which such discrimination may be corrected.

Are

you aware of whether the Commission now does that?

Mrs. BENTLEY. I'm not aware whether they are doing it at the present time. I do know that, following the Celler hearings, they did go into this and look into the rate structures of exports and imports, as requested by Mr. Celler and also by the Joint Economic Committee, I believe, under the then Senator from Illinois, Senator Douglas. And they did do it then, and I'm sure that they should be doing it, and I'm sure they are pursuing that policy.

Senator HART. On this problem of discriminatory rates, Senator Hartke inquires, why should the inbound and outbound rates not be the same? Do not our American exporters in fact pay higher freight rates to reach a foreign market than foreign producers pay to reach American markets in some two-thirds or three-quarters of the cases? Doesn't this amount to a very effective trade barrier against this country? Ought not the Commission take vigorous action to eliminate that kind of barrier?

Mrs. BENTLEY. Well, Senator, this is a very involved matter. I think the Commission must do everything possible to protect the American exporters as well as the American importers.

This they must do. To get into specifics on that matter, I don't feel at this point that I am fully-I shouldn't say "qualified"--but I haven't gone into the details of specific commodities. I know that this particular subject was the subject of weeks of hearings before the Joint Economic Committee, and before the House. The decisions that were rendered by those committees then should be followed by the Commission and will be under my direction if I am confirmed.

Senator HART. And leadership in the pursuit of the answers to these questions should be undertaken by the Commission.

Mrs. BENTLEY. Right.

Senator HART. Not awaiting the intermittent congressional action. Mrs. BENTLEY. No; the direction has been already issued by Congress.

Senator HART. The last question of Senator Hartke which has been asked by Senator Griflin and me, has to do with the way that batting

lineup on the Commission reads-two from Baltimore, assuming your confirmation, two others from the East Coast, and one from the Gulf Coast. There are two other seacoasts. He expresses that concern also. Mrs. BENTLEY. Yes; as I said earlier, I am fully aware of this concern, and I might point out, sir, that under the Commission recently, in the past year, in a very important decision involving the west coast, despite the fact that you had this as it was referred to earlier-imbalance, that the ruling on the Overland Freight Rate case was in behalf of the west coast.

Senator HART. Mrs. Bentley, I wish you great success, and hope that a year from now, 2 years from now, we can see progress on all of these coasts.

Mrs. BENTLEY. Thank you, sir. I will do everything I can to do it. Senator TYDINGS. Senator Cannon?

Senator CANNON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, While we don't have any seaports in Nevada, I'm very happy to note the nominee was born in the State of Nevada, and attended the University of Nevada, and also worked for a distinguished Member of Congress here from the State of Nevada.

I also note, Mr. Chairman, that she happens to have been born 10 miles from the wife of the President of the United States, and I am sure we are very happy to have two such distinguished persons coming from our State.

I am happy to support her nomination.

Senator TYDINGS. Thank you very much.

Senator Baker?

Senator BAKER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have only one question. I don't want to probe into it in depth, because I really don't think a confirmation hearing is the right place to do it. But in the growing area of combined transportation by land and by sea, I have the impression that on occasion the split jurisdiction between the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Maritime authorities has, on occasion, posed problems.

Could you give me any insight as to your attitude toward a reconciliation of this, or how you might more effectively approach the problem of single-point authority for combined shipments by land and by

sea?

Mrs. BENTLEY. Sir, that is a very current topic, and a very current problem-intermodal traffic, as intermodal traffic increases in this country. Because it is a matter being considered, because it is a very heated subject, I would rather not express my views.

I do know that it must be resolved, it must be reconciled, if our commerce is to be developed as it should be.

Senator BAKER. I take it from your answer you recognize the problem and the acuteness of it, and you feel something ought to be done? Mrs. BENTLEY. Definitely.

Senator BAKER. I think that is as far as you can or should go. Beyond that, I have nothing except to say I will be most pleased to suport your nomination. Thank you.

Senator TYDINGS. Thank you, Senator Baker.

Senator Moss?

Senator Moss. Thank you. Mr. Chairman. I was late, and didn't get to participate in the earlier part of the hearing. I don't think I

have any questions I want to pose to Mrs. Bentley. I would follow Senator Cannon and welcome her as a westerner who is now transplanted to the coast. I'm sure she will do a very effective job in the position to which she has been nominated. Her background in recent years would indicate a familiarity with the problems and she has expressed a willingness to attack them.

So I wish you well, and I am sure you will do well in the position. Senator TYDINGS. Senator Spong?

Senator SPONG. Mr. Chairman, I had an opportunity yesterday to spend some time with Mrs. Bentley and to discuss some of the problems peculiar to the Hampton Roads ports of Virginia.

I don't believe I have any questions. I would like to say, in view of what has already been pointed out by Senator Cotton, as it applies to the regulatory nature of Mrs. Bentley's duties, that I have one regret about her appointment, and that is that it will remove her to a degree from a role of partisanship.

On just this last Monday, I believe, in the Norfolk Ledger Star, I saw an article by Mrs. Bentley, in which she says that the administration is losing a golden opportunity if it does not come forward with a maritime plan.

On September 25 of last year, President Nixon in a position paper, recognized the need for a new maritime plan. In the early months of this year, we examined those who came before us and were promised a plan in the summer of this year.

And here it is October, and we do not have a plan, and Mrs. Bentley, I wish you well in your duties. I support your nomination, but I regret there will be no more articles like this, which say exactly what I think ought to be said every day, until something is done.

Thank you.

Mrs. BENTLEY. Senator, thank you. I have full intent of returning to the journalism world after I have completed my tour of duty in the Government.

Senator TYDINGS. Thank you very much, Senator Spong.

Senator Hollings?

Senator HOLLINGS. Mrs. Bentley, I would like very much to take up the thought of Senator Spong. I think the difficulty in Washington is one of trying to make headlines and no headway. I don't think this appointment in any way removes you from a position of partisanship.

Sometime later on-I am confident-knowing you and knowing your thoughts and your writings, the leadership that you have given to this particular problem, that you are bound to be stepped on, and reminded, "Look, after all, you are the regulator, not the administrator, and you are not to set policies."

Now, the distinguished Senator from Michigan talks about making progress, and which ports, and which coast, the fifth coast, Hawaii, and what have you. But I think the problem is more important than which coast. It is which boat.

We are fast going out of business. All we have been doing over the years, and I've worked with you and the former chairman of this subcommittee, Senator Bartlett, and there is a good chance with now only 5 percent of our cargo being carried in American bottoms, that this will be resolved into the "Monuments Commission," rather than the Maritime Commission.

The best legislation, in my mind, that we passed in the last several years through this committee, wasn't even by a member of the committee, and that was that sponsored by Ralph Nader. He had no role, he had no capacity; at least you have a semirole or semicapacity on policies, as I see it.

In any event, please use this Maritime Subcommittee as an excuse; if they ever step on you, you tell them we asked you for it, because we need very, very badly a policy for maritime affairs for this Govern

ment.

It just comes down to the point when they are talking of the tremendous costs and whether we can afford it, it comes down to a question of whether we can afford not to have a merchant marine, and a maritime policy in this Government.

For the largest trading Nation in the world to be dependent, as we are, and then get into the things about rates, land, sea, which coastwe are just fragmenting around and losing direction.

And knowing you and your dynamic personality, and the dedication that you have on this problem, I am delighted with the appointment. I hope you stir it up. I hope you give it direction. I hope you step on toes over there and everything else like that.

And if you ever need an excuse, you just tell them we asked you to do it, because you can't make a mistake-all we have done so far is what is wrong, as the results show.

I have a resolution from the South Carolina Ports Authority, endorsing your appointment, which, Mr. Chairman, without objection, I would like to make a part of the record.

Senator TYDINGS. It will be included in the record at this point. (The document follows:)

RESOLUTION

Whereas, Mrs. Helen Delich Bentley, as a maritime editor has covered the waterfronts of the United States for over 20 years;

Whereas, she has earned unusual recognition and respect for her news and editorial coverage of the maritime industry;

Whereas, she has been a source of wise counsel to the members of the Authority on past occasions;

Whereas, her national maritime column has been carried by both Charleston newspapers and she has been a speaker at the Propeller Club of the Port of Charleston;

Whereas, she brings excellent experience and knowledge of the maritime industry to her new appointment as chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission by President Nixon: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the South Carolina State Ports Authority does commend President Nixon on his selection of Mrs. Bentley and congratulates Mrs. Bentley on her appointment.

Resolution passed by South Carolina State Ports Authority.

Senator HOLLINGS. Do you have any recommendation at this time to assist you in stirring up and trying to form a maritime policy? I'm with you. I want to conspire with you and see how we can do it together.

Mrs. BENTLEY. Well, sir, if I do any conspiring, I think I will wait until after I've been confirmed.

Senator HOLLINGS. You won't have any trouble on confirmation. Mrs. BENTLEY. But seriously, the administration is working on a program, and I do believe it is going to be presented to the Hill very

soon.