New-York tribune., 1920-04-12
Standard Oil
Tankers Subject
OF Controversy
Vessels We're in Hamburg
Harbor During War;
Company Insists They
Are American Owned

In the current issue Of "The Lamp
the Standard Oil Company of New Jer-
sey reviews the developments leading
up to the issuance last August of an
order by the Interallied Naval Armstice
Commission under which the company's
nine oil tankers in the harbor of Ham
burg during the war we're to be dis
patched to the Firth Of Forth, where it
was proposed to allocate the vessels to
the Allied powers, including France.
+ While the representations of the
American mission at Paris were sue
cessful in preventing the ALLEGATION, the
tankers were ultimately sent to the
Firth of Forth, where they remain in
the custody of the British government
1t has been since intimated from Paris
that temporary release of the vessels
would be facilitated if assurance was
given that this action would not be al
lowed to prejudice their final allocation
This proposition" says the Standard
Oil Company, (which, in effect. would
deprive the United States of the fur
ther right to protest against the distri-
button of American ships among the
Allied powers as indemnity for acts of
Germany, could not be entertained
There followed further tentative sug-
gestions, each making the solution Of
the issue dependent upon some conces-
sion by the Standard Oil Company.
'For instance, an extension Of q spc-
cial credit by the Standard Oil Com
pany was asked by France. This re-
quest fox credit was refused, for the
reason that this company could not
fairly extend credit to one nation with
out extending it to all, which was OBJ
viously impossible. We have lately
seen reports published abroad that we
had extended credits to Germany, while
refusing them to France. This is wholly
unfounded. All our sales to Germany
have been T. o. b. New York
AS to the actual beneficial owner.
ship Of the ships by the Standard Oil
Company there is not, and never has
been any question. Nor is there any
ground on which any question could
be raised except as to Is per cent in
tcrest represented by the voting shares.
THE simple issue is whether, con-
trary to what was held and done dur
ing the war, property actually Ameri-
can-owned can, merely because the
nominal title was in German corpora
tion. be now appropriated and credited
been sentenced to pay, thus shifting
the burden Of that indemnity to the
United States and its citizens.
Had the boats been seized and used
BIZ Germany, and while so used had
NOT been destroyed, Germany would
under the terms of the treaty have
been required to restore them, because
Of the American financial interest in
them. 1t would be an extraordinary
thing, If, having neither been seized BY
Germany nor captured BY her enemies.
they could now be taken and appro,
priatcd by our friends in the war as
indemnity for acts Of Germany in
spite Of the same American financial
interest in them. So extraordinary
would ho such result that the
Standard OH Company has not por.
mitted itself to doubt that in the end
Its right to the ships would be fully
and freely acknowledged and respected
on oil sides. The company feels. that
It is justified in entertaining thk Aeon
6dent bclief."