Evening star., 1914-10-25
Plan GIGANTIC US.
MERCHANT MARINE
Negotiations Under Way for
Great Fleet to Sail From
New York.
SHIPS COULD BE BOUGHT
FROM WARRING NATIONS
England Has Large Number Of
Prizes Seized on Ocean Since
War Began.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, October. 24.-Negotia-
tions are under way for putting
great feet of cargo steamships upon
the seas of the world under the Ameri-
can flag New York is to be the home
port, and the nucleus of the enterprise
will be at least twenty ships. ranging
from 5000 to 1900 tons.
Business is to begin as soon as the
vessels can be brought together, and
rapid expansion Is expected as soon as
the war is ended.
The capital is to be furnished by New
Yorkers who are already interested IN
shipping, and by Liverpool shipowners.
Two representatives of the latter were
In New York last week and returned
to their principals on the Mauretania
Wednesday.
A prominent admiralty lawyer in New
York, who has the matter in hand, in
an Interview yesterday said that the
British shipowners were quite wiling
that the United States should have its
share of the carrying trade Of the
world.
Has Been Disproved.
For some time" he said. there has
been a feeling in Congress that this
country was not being treated fairly
with regard to her mercantile marine
and that the carrying trade was in the
hands of foreign shipping trusts. This
has been disproved in the federal
courts, but the decision did not do away
with the feeling in Congress. -,
when the war Is over, Germany will
make tremendous efforts to resume her
place in the ocean-carrying trade. ana
certain firms in Liverpool, seeing the
opportunity, began overtures to capi-
talists here for an international COM
of the German freight business.
There are fully $50 ships, seized as
prizes, to be disposed OF In Great
Britain by the government, and there
is nothing to prevent any company
buying them and putting them under
the American flag.
THE intention is to operate freight
steamships from New York, under the
American flag, to Australia, India,
China and South American ports. Brit
terprise as well as American, and there
will be a joint board of directors with
executive offices in New York and Liv-
erpool.
They Have Experience.
Freight carrying requires expert
ence, like any other business. and that
will be furnished by the managers in
Liverpool, who are descendants OF
hip-owners for generations.
-"Of course, it Is not intended that
America shall have all the carrying
trade for her mercantile marine. but
the promoters of the enterprise believe
that this country should have its share.
There is every reason why, now that
restrictions have been withdrawn by
the Underwood amendment to the Pan
ANA canal act of 1912. the Stars and
Stripes should be seen on merchant
vessels in the eastern seas, as it was
before the civil war;"
With regard to the difference in the
cost of operating American and Brit
ish steamships. the lawyer said there
was no law compelling American ships
to carry American crews on mail ships
under contract to the government.
They are bound to carry American
watch officers, and that is all. If they
wanted to ship American firemen and
sailors they could not find them. The
Pacific Mail Navigation Company,
which has been sailing from San
Francisco to Japan and China more
than half a century. has always car
and Chinese crews.