New-York tribune., 1920-12-23
Sharp Cut in
Price of Ships
Is Looked For
|C,oyernment Vessels at Sl25
atom Not Expected To Be
Attractive to Buyers in
Present Falling Market
|l,reat Volume for Sale
/ Britain Finds 1t Difficult. to
Dispose of Its Ex-Cerman
Coinage at Low Figures

Even il the Shipping Board reduces
- ;rice OF its steel cargo steamers
lko sl25 3 deadweieht ton, rs indicated
il reports from Washington, shipping
men do not expect the action to be
Iollowed by the disposal of a large
lplume Of the governments tonnage.
lghe present range Of rates is from
an6O to slSo a ton.
/ simultaneously with the intimation
III pending reduction in tonnage
Hryices, it is pointed out, comes the
announcement that eighteen more OF
lhe Shipping Boards S vessels have been
9si.hdrawn from operation. With the
I,resent low level of treights vessels
aander the American flag in most trades
Isre unable to operate at q profit, and
i.he time IS therefore regarded as Ill
kpportune for the disposal of any vol
Iume of tonnage. The American Steam
bhip Owners Association has advo-
ieated that the ships be placed on safe
HI. 500 ton, and the belief is gem
lsral that the board will ultimately
lfeduce its prices to this figure.
y Even at this figure, however, there
lis little likelihood of mose than d
dlWIteC dlllOuHl ol llle DOaIu , HOlulls7 :
being disposed Of. British shipping
l'he declining scale of tonnage values
hEroughout the world the Shipping
4 Board Will be forced to sell at as low
Is $50 per deadweight ton, or about
tEe pre-war equivalent.
In the mean time the British govern
aent has a ship sales problem on It's
AsSn hands in the attempts it is max
Hag to dispose Of the eX-German
Akxamers. Little has been given ont
Asgarding the prices secured for the
Atomparatively small number sold SO
lr, but it has been stated that on
Ihe first lot sold, about two months
iIago, an average of f19 per ton WAS
fheaIized. Later sales are believed tc
lEaye been below this figure,f when
Arumes to about $92 at normal exchange
Ihalues. or about S66 on the present
aszchange basis. These figures for old
iEsssels are considerably above the 500
Hate predicted for the Shipping Board :
EDsnnage abroad.
Another feet of oldtime vessels al
#resent on the market is composed Of
NJ number of transports owned by the
Knitted States War Department, some OF
Baem built thirty-fve TO forty years
skgo.
@With the sale of the ex-Germar
iRxamers hanging fire more than lit
Ws, and many of them very fine ships
HAYS The British Merchant Shipping
Beyiew, at must be admitted that the
limited States army does not seem to
lEanu very good chance of realizing
#g prices for the feet Of transports,
Fought at the time of the war with
lkaain, which they are Offering for sale.
Eithout speaking unkindly. they are q
H.. of crooks, but their names awaken
&s kindliest thoughts in anybody in
atrestad in the oldtimers."
III Old Transports on Market
II The fleet is stated to include these
Maips, built as follows:
Il Warren, 1889, built as the Hamburg
@nsrican Scandia; Kilpatric, 1890
Elilt as the Atlantic transport Mlchi-
&sn; Buford, 1890. built as the Atlantic
Transport Mississippi; Sherman, 1889
4 lit as the Atlantic transport Mobile;
8aerdan, 1882, built as the ATLANTIC
8ansport Massachusetts,; Thomas. 1894
nit as the Atlantic transport MINNIE
8ska; Logan, 1892, built as the ~ Ian
81 transport Manitoba; Meade. 1S' i
4.it as the Inman liner City OF Berlin;
H.ock. 1870 built as the Henderson
H1sr Rumania.
The average efficient life Of a vessel
H figured as twenty years, so that al!
M these ships have passed the allotted
Hssn and some Of them have more thai,
aanbied it. Bids have been received
lEw the Meade. but all Of them were
Rejected, presumably on the grounc
lsst they were too low.
4 No Bid for Concrete Tankers
II WASHINGTON, Dee. 22.-No bids
here received to-ds~ by the Shipping
IBaard for the 1900 deadweight tor
Iksscrete tankers Latham ana Selma
aich are tied up at Galveston.