Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1919-09-28
SHIPPING BOARD RULES
ASSIGNMENT WAS FINAL
Britain Held ALLEGATION
by Germany Was Only
Temporary and Vessels
Would Revert to Pool.

w dSllIISIOI. CGpt. Aa.-l llC
eight former German liners al
located to the United States af-
ter the armistice, including the
former Hamburg : American
steamer, Imperator, the second
largest ship afloat, are to be
turned over to the shipping
board by the war department,
as soon as necessary surveys can
be made. Plans to place them
in passenger and freight ser
vice are being prepared by the
shipping board.
The Imperator has been allo-
Gated by the allied naval COM
mission at Paris to Great Bri-
tain. The shipping board an
nounced today, however, that it
had taken the liner over from
the war department and order
ed a survey to determine repairs
necessary for use as a liner.
lit Tor lat Move.
The British minister of ship
ping here expected that the I'M
perator would be turned over to
its agents at 8. a. m. today at
Hoboken, and the vessel already
had been promised to the Cunard
line for service between New
York and England. Decision
that the ship should be deliver
ed to the shipping board was
reached late last night, at a con-
ference between board officials
and representatives of the war
department.
| While no official Of the board would
stand sponsor for the statement, it was
understood that the action of the board
| in retaining the ships was a result of
| decision by the supreme economic coun-
/ ell at Brussels to allocate TO the allies
twelve oil tank steamers in German
ports which the Standard Oil company
of New Jersey contends are its prop
! erty The ships were operated under
the German flag. but the company
/ claimed they belonged to its German
/ subs diary
| Under Secretary Of State Polk head
| Of the American peace delegation ut
/ Paris, has sought to have the twelve oil
! ships allocated for the transportation Of
! oil from the United States to Germany
/! The representatives of the five great
powers at Paris agreed. but the su-
| preme economic council. on which the
| United States is not now represented
ordered Germany To turn the vessels
over to the allies
T Officials of the shipping board would
not say upon what authority they were
acting. 1t was expected. however, that
| the whole question would be brought to
/ the attention Of President Wilson. (
Allied Pool Wanted Them.
After their ALLEGATION to the United
States the ships were used as transports.
and Great Britain has centended that
their ALLEGATION was only temporary and
that when the troop movement had been
completed they were to revert to che
allied shipping pool for permanent allo-
cation. ]. H. Rosseter. director of op-
| erations for the shipping board, said to
day, however. that the board held that
the original assignment of the ships was
permanent.
| Besides the Imperator, the ships are
the kaiserin Auguste Victoria. Cap Fin
/ istere, Graf Waidersee. Prinz Friedrich
! Wilhelm, Pretoria. Mobile and Zeppelin
| All are huge passenger liners which had
| been laid up In German ports during the
/ war After the arnistice they were de-
/ livered to American naval officers in
England. All of the vessels are now in
port in this country, most OF them ar
New York
Now Property OF U. S.