New-York tribune., 1920-10-04
Three Arrive With British
Crews; Fly Inter-AlIied
and American Flags; In
Hands of Shipping Board
Ownership Still in Dispute
Oil Company May Have to
Paw to Use Own Tankers:
Imperatoa' Figures i'm Case

I
Britain for months of the Imperator
and other ex-German steamers allocat-
ed to the British government by the
Reparations Commission, have been
anchored in New York harbor during
the last week
These ships are part of the nine
tankers owned by the German subsid-
;arv Of the Standard Oil Company of
New Jersey, the Deutsche Amerikan-
ische Petroleum Gesellschaft, which
we're taken over by the allied commits
sion after the armistice.
The decision to distribute this ton
mage between France, Great Britain,
Belgium Italy and the United States,
desnite the claim Of the Standard Oil
interests that the ships were the prop
erty Of that company, was the I'M
pelling motive in inducing the Ship
ping Board to retain possession of
the ex~German steamers beyont the
period set for them TO be turned over
to Great Britain. Finally an gree
ment was reached for an independent
tribunal TO pass upon the. ownership of
the tankers. and. pending this, the for
mer German liners were released to
Great Britain. The British government
recently. however, made q claim for
damages growing out of the detention
of the liners, and the matter Is now
In the hands Of the State Department.
British Crews on Tankers
The present status of the tankers is
peculiar one They were sent here
fving the Inter-Allied flag and that of
the United States and with British
crews aboard. 1t is understood that
they have been turned over tempo
rarily to the Shipping Board for oper-
,tion, subject TO return to the Inter-
Allied Commission whenever called for.
A peculiar feature of the situation
is that they viii probably be chartered
to the Standard Oil Company Of New
Jersey to carry oil to Europe and the
company Will then be placed in the
position Of paying for the privilege OF
using its own ships.
The three vessels sent here are the
Niobe. Of $500 tons de2dweight; the
Pawnee, OF $500 tons. and the Hera,
4.SOO tons With five other tankers
belonging to the Standard Oil interests
they were in the port of Hamburg at
i the beginning Of the war and ninth
tanker was under construction IN
Hamburg shi1yard.
The Standard Oil Company Of New
Jersey owned o controlling interest in
the Deutsche Amerikanische Petroleum
Gesellschaft and the tankers were the
property of the latter company When
it became evident early in 1917 that
the United States would enter the war,
il was figured that Germany would
seize the fessels as American property
and the Standard Oil Company of New
Jersey sold its control of the German
company to German interests. taking
bonds in payment Alien Property Gus
todan Palmer ruled. however, that the
transaction was void, the effect of this
being, according to a statement made
i he Standard Oil Company, to re-
r. !. the vessels to their previous
l,atus of ownership by an American
controlled company.
United States Ownership Recognized
In statement issued by the Stand
ard Oil Company it was pointed out
that a sister tanker of those IN Ger
nan ports at the outbreak Of the war,
the Leda, was captured at sea b. q
British cruiser early in the conflict,
but although she had been flying a
. German flag. the British government,
or the strength Of The equitable or
beneficial American ownership, restored
her to the Standard Oil Company,
Which put her under the American
flag Upon similar grounds, it is
stated, the British and French govern
ments consented to the formal trans
fer 10 the Standard OIL Company and
to the American flag of all the re-
naming Deutsche Amerikanische Pc
troleum Geselschaft tankers not in
German ports
For four years during the war the
tankers were ted up at Hamburg, but
following the arMistice they were sur
\ rendered TO the Allies and sent to the
AFrth Of Forth, pending ALLEGATION,
5~here they renamed until recently.
SINCE the war the ninth tanker. the
Zoppot, has been c P-loted ~~ rs
made tr p TO this country. She Is a
1900 tons deadwe ght vessel with IN
ternal combustion ergines and is said
TO be the largest motorship in the
world She sailed from here recently
With cargo of oil consigned to Baltic
ports for German company, but not
under charter by the Standard Oil
Interests.
The present situation is the result of
an agreement covering thu temporary
sNoc&tion OF the tankers signed at
rarls on June 7 last. According to
ms, eight OF the tankers were to be
occasionally allocated to. the United
.s'ates, with the understanding that
TIE. should fly the Inter-Allied flag,
su9gether with the flag of the United
o,ateS 1t was further specified that
II aesired by rance. Belgium and ltalT
ue elght vessels, until the final ava cd
was determined, might be used fer
transporting cargoes specified by these
governments from the United States
ac'ofolng 10 an agreed schedule of ton
.'age' SArould the Reparations Commits
/ s,on SO decide, 1t was agreed. the tank
& go might also transport one or two
eos"ei cargoes TO Germany. The United
o's'es was left free to employ the Nes-
,s unrestrictedly to the extent that
sney were not needed for the trans
rvI'auon of cargoes to the four coun-
Nles specified.
Profits Provided For
~ was also agreed that all proceeds
oser the cost of operation of the YES
,N.S se.S should be credited to or deposited
"ith me keparations Commission pend
"g hnal disposal of the vessels.
stipulation was made that if th'
ohited States had not ratified The
pwace treaty by July the Standarc
ua Sompany's claim might be adjudi
ss'ea by an independent tribunal to be
stSfeed upon by the United States an(
'Ae several governments concerned.
Sommehting upon the situation re
sS..ntiy, The Lamp, published by th
s..ahaard s.S,d Oil Company of New Jersey
:. 1t was expected that the consumma
avn OF the agreement of June Z, after