Comer 150

This will acknowledge your letter of 23 December 1955,
File A17-9-1/150:070, in connection with investigation
by the Conference concerning accusations which you state
were directed to certain Members as regards rebating
on shipments of Mandarin Oranges to West Canada Parts
(Vancouver).

In reply I have to advise that no accusations against
any Member Lines hav? been made in connection with
such movements. However, you will have noticed from
Minutes of Regular Meeting No. 98 of 21 October 1955,
that there had been rumors and suspicions that coness-
sions were being offered by carriers as inducement
to secure shipments of Oranges, none of which have over
been substantiated, and in order to remove such rumors
certain action was taken for movements of Mandarin
Oranges during November/December 1955.

I might mention that all Member Lines interested in
this season's movement have carried out the instruc-
tions agreed upon and reported in the Minutes, and
I have made further investigations and am satisfied
that no rebating has been done by any carriers of
Mandarin Oranges. Only four importers were involved
and I had personal discussions with representatives
of two of the largest who were in Tokyo at the time
shipments were made and it appears the cargo vas booked
with carriers who offered whips for this business and
whose ships were in the wont suitable position desired
by the importers. Purthermore, bookings were influenced
a good deal by personal friendship between the importers
and shipping company representatives in Vancouver whose
representatives in Tokyo also actively solicited the business

from the Vancouver representatives of the importers den they were in DoryO.

1

I can Biso s、tols say here as regards other cargo other ports, I have had no rusors of any kind itsover of rating amongst the Member Lines.

deral Maritime Board nington 25, D. C.

we have corresponded with pur soliciting agent in Ouatemala relative to the letter he had written a Guatemalan importer offering a discount of 5% for freight charges if all their traffic was routed via West India Lines

(ir agent nas bean rally advised that he is not authorised :offer freight discounts of any kind and all rates se pro vided in the tariff must be adhered to.

We are sorry to have troubled you with this matter and appre1ate the opportunity to take measures to prevent its recur

ence

ATB/da