Copyright 1999 Journal of Commerce, Inc.
Journal of
Commerce
June 18, 1999, Friday
SECTION: EDITORIAL/OPINION; Pg. 9
LENGTH: 717 words
HEADLINE: A
SHIP'S "SQUAT' INVOLVES DRAFTS, NOT TOTAL WEIGHT
BODY:
The statement in your editorial of May 24 (""A matter of definition,'' Page
4A) that everyone makes mistakes is, unfortunately, true, and that goes both for
me and your distinguished paper - including the individuals you quote.
On Page 2B of the May 25 issue (""Ocean ships slow as Seaway sinks''),
St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. official Pat Vincelli is quoted as saying
that a ship's squat is the amount a ship sinks in the water.
This is not
true. Rather, it is the increased draft by the stern, compensated for by a
decrease of the draft forward.
In other words, the ship's total weight
does not change, and the weight of the water displaced remains the same.
SVEN R. MOSSBERG
Maritime Consultant
Lakehurst, N.J.
CONSERVATION FUNDING BILL MERITS PRAISE
The
criticism of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) in
""Clean oceans and hockey rinks'' (opinion article, May 26, Page 4A) misses the
forest for the trees.
CARA is one of several
conservation funding measures before Congress that offer real
advancements in America's ability to protect wildlife, wild places and critical
natural resources.
These advancements can be found in four critical
common-ground elements shared by each of the bipartisan proposals, including the
administration's Lands Legacy Initiative:
They all call for a permanent
source of conservation funding, based on revenue from offshore
oil and gas drilling leases, not subject to annual appropriations battles.
They all call for wildlife management investments at the state level
that, among other things, could help stop wildlife populations from declining to
the point that they require federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.
They all call for full funding of the Land and Water
Conservation Fund at $900 million annually to be divided
between state and federal programs.
They all call for environmental
restoration investments for all the national's coastal states.
Together,
these changes would benefit all Americans, including private land- owners who -
despite the never-ending scare tactics of those who oppose every piece of
environmental legislation - have nothing to fear from plans to acquire land from
willing sellers for conservation purposes.
The bigger
picture is that the country now has an unprecedented opportunity to enact
historic conservation funding legislation.
As your
opinion article noted, that legislation will provide investments for urban parks
as well as remote wild lands. But for many Americans, that combination is part
of this legislation's strength, not a weakness.
Of course CARA is not
perfect. It is in need of some refinements to better achieve the
conservation America so badly needs. But the legislation offers
an important starting point. For that, it deserves praise, not scorn.
MARK VAN PUTTEN
President, chief executive
National
Wildlife Federation Vienna, Va.
EGYPT ADOPTED RULE TO PROTECT ITS
CONSUMERS
Michael Barron's ""Egypt Puts Its Progress at Risk'' (opinion
article, May 10, Page 5A) generally does justice to economic reform efforts in
Egypt. Mr. Barron correctly notes that the reforms have already elevated Egypt
to "" emerging-market status,'' and are attracting foreign investments in the
country.
Where I disagree with Mr. Barron is when he asserts that the
Ministry of Trade and Supplies' decision No. 619 is threatening to undo the
gains of recent years because the decision imposes a few controls on some
selective imports.
It is not so much the analysis that is wrong, but the
premises on which it is based.
Actually, decision 619 was adopted to
protect Egyptian consumers who have been flooded by low-quality goods which are
impacting the better-quality locally produced ones.
In making this
decision, the MTS was keen that it should not impinge on the General Agreement
on Tariffs and Trade or World Trade Organization provisions.
The
decision, furthermore, only covers 7 percent of Egypt's total imports. However,
in implementing the decision, the MTS is taking into consideration both the
concerns of the importers and the flexibility needed to overcome any problems
that may arise.
ABDELALEEM EL-ABYAD
Minister, Head of Office
Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt Press & Information Bureau
Washington
LOAD-DATE: June 18, 1999
