New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-03-29
Constantinople Is
Worried About Its
Commercial Future
Business Interests Discuss
Possibility of Prohibi-
ton and Trade if the
Straits Are Neutralized

CONSTANTINOPLE, March % (By
The Associated Press NEARLY every
day adds to the uncertainty of the peo-
pie of Constantinople, which is the
center of 1he great ferment in the Near
East, but knows little about the de-
cision of the Paris and London for
eign Offices and gets such heavily cen
sored news from the Levantine points
that New York and Washington doubt
less have fuller information on the
Turkish situation than do the Turks.
Commercial interests are eagerly dis
cussing the possibility of liquor prohi-
bition in Constantinople and trade con-
ditions if the straits are neutralized.
Many merchants believe that Constan-
tinople would then be the trans-ship-
ment port for the Black Sea trade, while
at the same time its Importance would
be lessened as the capital of Turkey,
reduced to about six millions of people
In that event the Black Sea ports
would probably assume greater i'm
portance, especially Batoum, which can
provide an unlimited supply of fuel
oil and stands as the gateway to
Georgia, Azerbajan and Persia. Ba-
stoum is not good natural port, but is
capable of extensive development with
breakwaters.
Many students of Near Eastern CON-
merce expect that Pir@us, the port of
Athens, will become much more impor-
tant as a shipment center when
Turkish control Of the Dardanelles and
the Bosphqrus is ended.
After Great Britain, the United States
has at the present time more shipping
in Levantine waters than any other
nation. The American steamships in
clude the Massillon Bridge, Hog Island,
Bird City, Schoodic and Chester Valley
West Pocosset, Chincha and Gaffney at
Batoum, the Orizaba, Faraday, Haddon
and Siboney in Greek waters, the Nava-
hoge at Malta, the Sangamon at Nov
orossisk, the Yaquina at Smyrna and
six dcstroyers, the Galveston and many
small navy craft also in the neghbor-
hood of Constantinople.
Discussing American shipping in the
Near East, prominent American bust
ness man said; 81 am afraid that this
is like a railroad which is trying to run
without terminals and stations. We
have ships, but we haven't American
shipping agents to handle them. We
haven't facilities at the vvious ports
and are at the mercy of foreign agents
backed by their governments, which are
far more interested in assuring their
commercial future than in protecting the
rights of the mnorities about whom
they talk so gladly"
American interests are reported to
be ready to erect temporarily transit
warehouses;, but cannot get permits to
do so. The efforts Of the United
States Shipping Board to get footing
in Constantinople are declared to be
blocked at every turn.
The situation at Batoum, where the
British are in control, is also said to
be unsatisfactory. Even ships carry
ing supplies of the American Commit
tee for Relief in the Near East for
free distribution to the Armenians are
Batoum government.
There is q bitter trade war on
American goods are criticized adversely
by British merchants, who resent the
popularity of certain American com
modities and try to prove to their
trade that other brands are better
Articles are published alleging the poor
quality of goods offered by American
1lrms and urging the substitution of
British. Some of the papers print
articles advocating the acceptance bv
the United States of a mandate for
the sterile devastated area, while the
other powers divide the rich sections
OF Turkey and the important strategic
points among themselves.