The Box - Marc Levinson [174]
9. On railroads’ capacities, see Tippetts-Abbett-McCarthy-Stratton, Shoreside Facilities, p. 8, while railroad standardization is treated in John G. Shott, Piggyback and the Future of Freight Transportation (Washington, DC, 1960), p. 33, and Progress in Piggyback, p. 19. Concerning Bull Line, see F. M. McCarthy, “Aspects on Containers,” presented to Marad Construction Committee, December 10, 1958. Bull Line’s choice of sizes is justified in International Cargo Handling Coordination Association, “Containerization Symposium Proceedings,” p. 19.
10. Minutes of Marad Dimensions Committee, April 16, 1959; letter, Ralph B. Dewey, Pacific American Steamship Association, to L. C. Hoffman, Marad, May 25, 1959; memorandum to various steamship company officials from George Wauchope, Committee of American Steamship Lines, June 16, 1959; minutes of Marad Dimensions Committee, June 24, 1959. Matson’s position on height is laid out in a “Report on why the standard container height and regional supplementary standard van container lengths, as proposed by the ASA Sectional Committee MH5, should not be approved,” submitted to Pacific American Steamship Association, February 15, 1960; Edward A. Morrow, “Line Chides I.C.C. on Rate Policies,” NYT, April 17, 1960.
11. Letter, W. H. Reich, chairman, Marad/Industry Container Standardization Committee on Construction and Fittings, to L. C. Hoffman, Marad, June, 25, 1959.
12. Morris Forgash, “Transport Revolution at the Last Frontier—The Thought Barrier,” in Revolution in Transportation, ed. Karl M. Ruppenthal (Stanford, 1960), p. 59; “Uniformity Urged in Big Containers,” NYT, September 12, 1959.
13. Minutes of MH-5 Size Task Force, September 16, 1959. See testimony of Les Harlander to the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, November, 1967. For comments on Hall, see Vince Grey, “Setting Standards: A Phenomenal Success Story,” in Jack Latimer, Friendship among Equals (Geneva, 1997), p. 40. Pan-Atlantic had not been a participant in the standardization process until that point; Matson had been, but was not notified of the September 16 meeting until the previous day and did not attend; letter of Robert Tate, Matson, to J. M. Gilbreth, Van Container Subcommittee, September 15, 1959. On Hall’s interest in preferred numbers, see MH-5 Executive Committee, minutes, May 4, 1961.
14. Ralph B. Dewey, Pacific American Steamship Association, to Herbert H. Hall, November 12, 1959; Dewey to L. C. Hoffman, Marad, November 12, 1959; Hoffman to Dewey, n.d.; Marad Dimensions Committee, January 14, 1960; Pacific American Steamship Association, minutes of special containerization committee, February 8, 1960; Dewey letter and statement to MH-5 committee, February 25, 1960. The vote is given in a letter from Hall to Dewey, June 20, 1961. Grace Line and American President Lines were so concerned by the government’s threat not to fund nonstandard containerships that they amended pending application for construction subsidies so that their proposed ships would handle 20-foot containers rather than 17-footers, which Grace was already using.
15. Letter from George C. Finster, standards manager, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, to members of MH-5 committee, June 29, 1960; letter, George Wauchope to Committee of American Steamship Lines members, July 26, 1960; Pacific American Steamship Association, minutes of containerization committee, August 4, 1960; “U.S. Body Enters Container Field,” NYT, April 28, 1961. For Hall’s view on “modular” sizes, see MH-5 committee minutes, June 6, 1961. On the procedures by which the standards were deemed to have been approved, see the testimony of Fred Muller Jr., U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, Cargo Container Dimensions, November 16, 1967. The standards were codified as ASA MH5.1–1961. Federal Maritime Board and Maritime Administration press release NR 61–35, April 28, 1961.
16. MH-5 minutes, June 6, 1961.
17. Tineke M. Egyedi, “The Standardized Container: Gateway Technologies in Cargo Transportation,