New-York tribune., 1920-10-13
Foreign Views
At Variance ON
Hamburg Pact
Britain Has No Grounds tor
Reasonable Objection to
the Agreement, Declares
an English Publication
Danish Viewpoint Hostile
Contract Called Gigantic
Cerman-American Attack
on Shipping of England

Interest abroad In the agreement be-
tween the Hartman and Hamburg
American shipping interests is reflected
IN comments appearing in the foreign
press Two widely divergent views are
those of The London Morning Post and
the Politiken of Copenhagen. The for
mer sees no ground for objection to
;he agreement. but the latter expresses
alarm over the prospect of "a gigantic
German American competitive attack
On England"
"How does tho German American
agreement affect this country" asks
the English publication. "We do not
see, frankly, how any reasonable OBJ
lection can be taken to It
at is contract between two pri-
vate companies, and though the Amer
lean Shipping Board has given It's
blessing 1t is, Of course, perfectly open
70 any country to take any measures
It may consider necessary for the de-
vclopment Of it's maritime power It /.
logical sequence to the policy out
lined in the Jones act and has, there
lore. occasoned little surprise on this
side Of the Atlantic.
British Alive to Situation
British ship owners have said very
little about what they think Of the
American bid for maritime supremacy,
and in that respect they have acted
very wisely, for there is Presidential
election in full swing and eager poll
ticians on both sides might make q
dangerous use of any incautious words
uttered in this country. But we may
be sure that British ship owners are
alive to the situation and are acting
accordingly, for our carrying trade is
probably our greatest, and certainly our
most permanent. national asset, and
any competition which might menace
Il would be strenuously but fairly met,
even to the extent Of securing adequate
government assistance if it were
deemed essential.
"In answering this challenge, how
ever, it is OF cardinal Importance that
there should be no waning of the
friendly relations which at present
exist between the two great English
speaking peoples. The German bid for
maritime supremacy was q danger to
this country because 1t was part of
design for the destruction of the Brit
sh Empire and the domination of the
world There Is not the faintest sign
Of any such ignohle ambition in Amer
tea, and indeed, to any one who knows
the American character, it is unthink-
able. Friendship between Great Britain
and the United States is the one solid
guaranty for the peace Of the world
and for an escape from our present
miseres"
The Danish publication, on the other
hand, views the agreement as a menace
rot only to British shipping but to the
scandinavian countries.
Hamburg Seeks Restoration
"With u.s." it says, "there has been
much talk about the chance of Copen-
hagen as the trading center Of the
Baltic. The question now is whether
there is trade TO correspond. Hamburg
has with amazing energy and widely
ramifed propaganda bestirred itself to
work in order TO maintain the city's
position in the worlds trade as before
the downfall OF che German nation in
war
Alleging that America has designs TO
oust Great Britain from the worlds
maritime leadership the Politiken goes
or 70 say:
Ships alone. however, do not accom-
plish that. and America has no expert
ence and no technical and commercial
equipment suitable for tho purpose.
There arc lacking also other essential
factors; namely. the maritime instinct,
the geographical relations and the
aptitude transmitted through centuries
shich have made Great Britain. Since
the armistioe it has not been possible
to train sufficient personnel FOR the
feet
What ia lacking In America, how
ever, is to be found in Germany The
big German companies have no ships,
hut they hive an army Of seamen, en-
gtneers and technical artisans with
rich experience. In other words, they
lave the whole apparatus In order; and
IN these circumstance nothing lay
nearer st hand than an amalgamation
between Germany and America"