New-York tribune., 1920-03-26
Vessel Owners
FIGHT Diversion
OF Shipping
Plan to Use Government
Owned Craft on Hamburg
Routes Strongly Opposed
by American Association
Teutons Alone to Benefit
Trade Agreement Would Be
Costly and Short-Lived,
Declares III. III. RAYMOND

Supplementing statement issued on
Wednesday relative to an effort on the
part of German steamship interests to
regain their place in the. trade routes
Of the world by the use of American
tonnage, H. H. Raymond, president Of
the American Steamship Owners As
sociation, said yesterday that the asso-
citation had protested to Washington
against the plan.
American steamship ocffiials, said
Mr.. Raymond, are not greatly i'm
pressed by the statement that unless
the Shipping Board vessels are put
upon these Hamburg routes British
advantage of the opportunity"
ut should be remembered" he said,
that the British and north European
steamship companies in general would
only go little out of their way to re-
ceive or discharge a few hundred tons
of cargo at Hamburg, while our own
government-owned ships could not use
the old Hamburg trade to the Orient
without being entirely taken out of and
kept out Of American ports and de-
voted almost exclusively to the promo
ClOH OI German commerce.
Believes Agreement Would Fail
while feel that private ship owners,
with their own American stats and on
their own responsibility can profitably
undertake to do this, do not want to
see our government attempt it and
practically go into partnership with
tne hamburg American agencies that
Will everywhere be seeking to serve
70 GS.C%
we have any ships to spare for Ham
burg routes they should be absolutely
under the control of American agents
in Hamburg. All practical steamship
men know the spirit that has always
characterized the Hamburg American
Company and nothing can be more Ger
tain than that any joint use by this
company of 80 per cent German and SO
per cent American ships will be an ex-
ceedingly short-lived agreement.
r. american ships, having served the
German purpose, and having rehabili-
tated German trade routes, will be cast
out at the very first opportunity and
any temporary profits that may have
accrued meanwhile to the Shipping
Board will be found to have been pur.
chased at heavy price of injury to
the American merchant marine and
commerce.
This is the view of the situation
which l know is held by American shin
owners generally. Our association in
cludes practically all of the American
owners CT seagoing tonnage in the At
llantic,, Gulf and Pacific ports of the
united States. | believe that the Ship
ping Board will hear protests from
American manufacturers, merchants
and exporters in the same fashion when
they realize the purpose of our gov
ernment to put it's steamships at the
disposal of the Hamburg -Ameri in
terests before our own services. par
ticularly our mail and fast freight ser
Vlces' nave been properly established"
Stock Owned by Americans
A steamship man prominently identi-
tied with the interests referred to bv
Mr. Raymond said last night that the
company he represented had a working
agreement with the Hamburg American
Line, but that all the stock is owned by
americans. Our idea," he said, "is to
9ptaln twenty-year contract with the
hamburg American Line, which has a
competent service in all big ports of the
worid. we will use that company's
agents, az; however, only when necessary.
we intend to have American agents in
charge at all places where the service ia
avallable 1t is nothing more nor less
than what the British lines are alreadv
doing. We want to get world trade for
the United States through the HAMBURG
american Line. If we do not do this
foreign lines will get the business. It
is the British shipping interests which
are seeking to keep American companies
IRON making the same kind of agree
menus tney nave alreadv made"