The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-01-31
Government Creates Ship
Control Board to Have
Supreme Charge
MEANS SPEEDING
UP OF PROGRAM
Approval From Ally Gov
ernments Is Only Step
To Be Taken
CBy Associated Press.l

washington. Jan. 31.-CentraliZed
| control OF transatlantic shipping
was established today with the crea-
ton of a ship control committee to
have supreme charge of the opera
| ton Of all ships-American, allied
and Notwithstanding and leaving
! American ports.
! The committee was named by
! representatives OF the shipping board
] the war and navy departments, the
i food and fuel administrations, the
| director general of railroad, the Brit
| ish government and ship owners who
met to devise some plan for speeding
up the movement Of supplies to Eu-
rope. 1t comprises p. A. S. Franklin
OF the international Mercantile
| Marine, chairman; II. II. Raymond,
| head Of the Clyde and Mallory lines
| and recently made shipping control
| Ter at New. York and Sir Cunnop
Guthrie, director of British shipping
in this country.
The program as explained by
shipping board officials in effect
creates q pool of ships moving sup
plies to Europe. Goods destined for
overseas will be loaded in available
ships whether operated by the Unit
ed States or the allies. With the
aid Of the railroad administration
the commission will divert to south
ern ports much Of the supplies that
heretofore have clogged the port OF
New York and incoming vessels will
be directed by wireless to proceed to
the ports in which materials of the
most Importance await shipment.
Not Vet Approved.
The plan yet has to be approved by
the British government and by the
other allies, but officials today re-
- N
Guthrie and Sir Richard Crawford
Of the British embassy, that this
would be forthcoming. Approval OF
the neutrals is not necessary mas
much as neutral ships operated by
the United States and the allies are
operated under charter.
The British long have urged an ar
rangement of the kind and months
ago sought to have the United States
enter the inter allied chartertng con- |
ference. The centralized control |
authorized today virtually creates
such a conference on this side OF
the water.
In. connection with the action off,
cials attached particular significance
to the decision to dispatch abroad |
RAYMOND b. Stevens, vice chairman
of the shipping board, and George
RubIes Of the boards legal stan, TO
sit in London and Paris as perman-
emit representatives Of the United
States in shipping matters. The
on the other side VIII
seek to accomplish the same aims
sought by creation Of the control
In addition they will
the United States in an
ALLEGATION of neutral tonnage obtaln%
ed by agreement between the allies
and neutral countries.
A decision to give the control COM
nittee authority to divert to the war
ports shipments of goods intended
for overseas transportation, officials
said. will accomplish an amalgama-
lion of rail and water transportation
facilities sought since the beginning
1f the war. Such a welding, It was
declared. was impossible until the
railroads came under government
control.
AS explained last night by ship
Ding board officials the diversion OF
.rafic to ports other than New YORK
viii clear New York harbor OF its
congestion and do much to speed up
oading and unloading. 1t was
that at least one million
ons of shipping would be gained by
|. proper coordination of effort.