Merchant Marine Act of 1916 (Alexander Act)
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The Merchant Marine Act of 1916 (also known as the Alexander Act) was passed by the US Congress in 1916 to create the US Shipping Board. The bill was sponsored by Representative Joshua W. Alexander (D) of Missouri, who was Chairman of the House Merchant Marine Committee. The act signified the birth of the modern American merchant marine.
The purpose of the United States Shipping Board was to develop water transportation, operate the merchant ships owned by the government, regulate the water carriers engaged in commerce under the US flag, and enforce the La Follette Seamen's Act regulations and national defense.[1]
The board consisted of five members and was empowered to
- form one or more corporations for the purchase, leasing, and operation of merchant vessels with a maximum capital of $50 million,
- to acquire vessels suitable for naval auxiliaries,
- to regulate commerce on the Great Lakes and the high seas, including the fixing of rates,
- to cancel or modify any agreement among carriers that were found to be unfair as between carriers and exporters, or which operated to the detriment of United States commerce, and
- to sanction pooling agreements among shippers which were exempted from the operations of the Sherman Act.
