Norwich bulletin., 1920-10-06
ABOUT AMERICAN SHIPS ON
 FORMER GERMAN TRADE ROUTES

Washington. Oct. 5.-Formal approval has never been given by the shipping board to the Hamburg American ship and Commerce Corporation contract TOT operation of American ships on the for mer German trade routes. Chairman Benson declared tonight
 The chairman said he had given his presonal endorsement to the plan and was still convinced that the agreement was for the best interests of the Ameri- can merchant marine but that action by the board awaited appointment of the ful board of seven members created by the Jones merchant marine act Admi- ral Benson added he would do every thing possible 10 push the nronasiiion and was not attempting to temper Ins strength of his personal sPpro,@. va t..e agreement
 Repeated attacks on the agreement. Chairman Benson declared, only demon- strated the more clearly the value 10 the United States of the proposed open. ing' up of former German routes to American shipping. Foreign competitors oppose the presence of American passen- ger vessels on the North Atlantic, he | said. because it is feared the United States will dominate the passenger trade o nthose ruotes.
 ] Kermit Roosevelt. secretary of the American Ship and Commerce Corpora. tion before its absorption by the liar. riman interests, after a conference witt Chairman Benson today, declared his withdrawal from the concern was du, to the doubtful allegiance of some new elements" in the company
 Tt was only after much consultation with Gen. Goethals and Mir. Clcgg re garding the nature of the proposed Ham burg-American alliance and the doubt ful allegiance in the American ShiI and Commerce Corporation that I con c.uded that the only course open wa resignation from the company" Mfr Roosevelt said in a statement That did not decide upon this without due de | liberation and thorough knowledge of tn
 preliminary contract may be seen fror
 the fact that as secretary of the com
 pany l was called upon in my oficia
 capacity to attest the authenticity of NJ
 Harriman's signature on the preliminar contract. I felt that without Geners
 Goethals and Mir. -Clegg.r American ir
 terests would have little hope for prr
 lection in. the subsequent and final cor : tracts. What l have since seen, has. 2 my judgment. proved c0nclusively tn i correctness of my decision"
 . The French government has asked il United States for information regard
 ing the course to be followed by tf shipping board in putting forward Gei |. man passenger ships on the Germa a trade routes, it was said today at tf e state department No protest has bee
 made. officials said but the French go-
 ernment wished to be informed con 5 corning reports that through transfer : the former enemy liners to the America
 Ship and Commerce Corporation the ve
 sells would eventually find their wa
 back to their former owners, the Han
 burg-American line.
 I No requests for allocation of vesse I has been made as yet by the America
 Ship and Commerce Corporation it W;
 said tonight at the shipping boardf o
 icials considered 1t doubtful if any the ships taken over from the German n during the war would be allocated . that company. Most of the former e S emy vessels. it was explained are a
 ready in established services and si
 teen have been allocated to the Unit. f States Mail Steamship Company.