The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-01-13
GERMAN SHIP SOLD
LINEB TIED Up In TEXAS GETS
AMERICAN REGISTRY
Will TRANSPORT cotton

Will TRANSPORT cotton
Government Approves Sale and Ship
Prepares to Garry Cotton to Ger
many-Much Interest in the View
Which Foreign Governments May
Take Of the Matter.
The steamship Dacia of the Ham
burg-American line, which has been
interned at Port Arthur, Texas, since
the start of the war, has been bought
by Edward n. Beitung Of Marquette,
Mich, and Monday was placed IN
American registry, after conference
between the Commissioner ot Navt
cation, Eugene T. Chamber ain, and
Henry S. Hooker Of New York, coun-
sci for Mr.. Breitung. The incident
is likely to become Of international
Importance, testing the attitudes of
Great Britain toward the application
Of the Declaration of London OF
1909.
The Dacia has been bought AMI
paid for by Edward N. Belt ing OF
Michigan" said Mr.. Hooker On leav'
ing the department of commerce a:
Washington on Monday. "Tne de-
tails of the sale have been fully laid
before the department of commerce,
and the official registration numbe.
has just been telegraphed to Port
Arthur, Texas. The Dacia has now
become an American vessel under the
provisions Of the amendment Of Aug
ust 1S, 1914, to the Panama canal
act.
"The Hamburg-American line has
no further interest, directly or 1nd1-
rectly, in this vessel. The German
captain and the German crew Will
leave the vessel and their places are
to be taken by George Mcdonald, an
American captain, and by American
crew who were selected in New VOTE
and have been sent to Port Arthur
"If the Dacia as an American yes
sci is permitted by the powers undel
the Declaration Of London OF Feb
ruary, 1909, to carry Southern cot
ton to Europe, a solution Of the cot
ton export problem will have beer
made. It is quite clear to me thai
there can be no adequate transporta
ton to Europe Of the cotton now &C
cumulated unless the German ane
Austrian vessels now interned II
American ports can be purchased ane
used by American citizens. No othel
vessels are available"
Mr.. Breitung is an American cltl
zen, the son Of Edward Beitung o.
Michigan, who was prominent min
| ing capitalist Of northern Michigan
and for a time a member of congress
The subject Of the sale has been be
| fore the department Of commerce foI
days, and the transaction has beer
subjected to the closest investigation
the department even going to SOM
trouble to satisfy itself of the actua
American citizenship of the purchase
Of the Dacia. -,
The steamship is one of the small
er vessels Of the Hamburg-Americal
line and has been engaged in carry
| ing freight cargoes between New Or
leans, Galveston, and other gulf port
and Bremen. The Dacia will be sen
to Galveston at once to take on
cargo of cotton for Bremen.
The Dacia has been tied up at Por
Arthur since the beginning of tn
war and there seems to be SOM
prospect that France, at least, viii
make an effort to dispute the sale
France holds that even bona nd
sale can not be recognized so lonl
as the sale is made to evade captur
and that a vessel so sold is suojec
to seizure by a belligerent.
There was no admission by tn
government officials that test cas-
was to be made Of the Dacia, but /
| is expected that the question Of tn
manner Of purchase will be raised
| Transfers in circumstances similar II
these surrounding the sale of tn
Dacia were made the subject Of eS
tended discussion at the London con
ference of 1909 and the following
agreement was finally reached:
"The transfer Of an enemy Vesse
to a neutral flag effected after tn
outbreak of hostilities is void unles
it is proved that such a transfer wa
not made in order to evade the con
sequences to which an enemy Vesse
as such is exposed"
The proposition of the Unitet
States as to this agreement is that
bona fde sale of merchant vessel
from belligerents to neatrals after
war begins is permitted if the sale Il
actually made in good faith and tina
| the transaction is not made as
| cover to escape the consequences O
belligerent ownership. Great Britain
has not made its attitude toWart
such transaction entirely clear.
The Dacia will sail from Galveston
the middle of January under her new
registry. If she should be held to b.
within her rights the result woult
mean untold advantage to the cotto1
industry Of the South, which is nov
languishing for want Of vessels Il
carry the crop to Germany. If, un
der the policy of President Wilson t
establish government-oWned Amer
can merchant marine, any progress:
is to be made, the determination o
the international status of the yes
sells of the Hamburg-American line
and Of other lines belonging to ma
tionals of one or the other belliger'
ents that have been driven from the
high seas, Is of the greatest impor'
tance. Until this is settled faVorablJ
to the United States, it will hardly be
possible to acquire enough vessels te
meet the necessities Of our foreign
commerce in the extremities caused
by the war.
There have been 103 vessels
bought for American registry under
the act, and of these fifteen were
German steamships belonging to the
Standard Oil company and operated
as tank steamers between Bremen
and New York. AS the ownership OF
these steamers could not be assailed