The Washington herald., 1920-09-09

action, at any stage. that requires
conCealment. Our records are open
| to anybody, as freely as I have ex-
| posed them to you. If the actual
| agreement which you have read is
not covered exhaustively in the
| summary l made public on August
| 16, l think you will agree that the
omissions are technical and relative
ly unimpOrtant.
Thwsrted British Designs.
''1f the United States is to make
use, and prompt use, of the vast
shipping material the war left on
! our hands, as well as the vast plant
with which We found ourselves to
manufacture new shipping, there
could be no justification for our re-
jecting the partnership which the
once premier steamship line of the
world offered us. II we hadn't ac-
| cepted the offer, the British would
have, and Scandinavian shippers
were nibbling at it, too. 1 am very
much impressed with Mr.. Harri-
mans capacity and am satisfied of
| his thorough loyalty. I have no re-
/ morse of any description for hav-
| ing facilitated the agreement into
which his organization has entered
| with the Hamburg-American line"
The organization which is to op-
crate under the agreement with the
Germans is the United American
Lines an amalgamation recently
formed by the Hartman Chandler ,
concern. 1t includes the old-estab-
lished shipping firm of Livermore.
Dearborn and Co, the Shawmut
Steamship Company, the American
Hawaiian Steamship Company, and
| the COastwise Steamship Company.
| The combination also includes, Of
course, the Kerr Navigation Corpo-
ration. the purchase of whose share
control for $4,000, 900 is now under
/ investigation by the Department Of
Justice. Altogether capital aggre-
eating 19,5OO.0O is involved in the
combine, representing forty-three
vessels of roundly 100000 tons. The
amalgamatiOn plans as soon as pos
sible to acquire 100000 tons of Ship
ping Board vessels, all practically
new construction, and has indicated
its desire to avail itself of the
grant-in-aid provisions of the Mer-
chant Marine act to an extent run
ming into many millions of dollars"
Foreign Press Favorable.
In addition to the Cramps at
Philadelphia, it appears that the
Hartman combination has acquired
still another shipyard-the Mer-
chant Shipbuilding Company on the
Delaware. with yards at Chester and
Bristol The combination now con-
trolls shipbuildng, ship operating
and ship Chartering organizations
OF its own.
The German shipping press, nat
urally, is jubilant over the vast
deal which has been consummated
for the rehabilitation OF the Ger
mans lost prestige at sea. Having
been apprised officially by the Ham,
| burg-American line Of the schemes
conclusion, the Hamburger Corre-
| spondent recently observed, edito-
rally:
1T will be seen from the con-
stituents of the Hartman group
that it is not only one of impor-
tance in American shipping and
| shipbuilding circles, but that it also
| has a share in financial and indus
| trial undertakings. The choice of
the Hamburg American line would,
therefore, appear to be an excep-
| tionally fortunate one"
The Hamburger Fremdenblatt,
| another great German shipping or
gan, commenting on the impending
deal between the North German
| Lloyd and a United States mail
| steamship company, which is to run
| along lines identical with those of
/ the Hamburg scheme, says:
THE president of the American
! company, Francis Mayer, declared
that the United States Mail Steam
| ship Company would become the
| largest in the world when the
agreement with the North German
Lloyd had been completely devel-
oped. A new line with Bremen
would begin to run in the autumn"
The final sentence seems to refer
to the sailing on September % of
the steamship Susquehanna from
New York direct to Bremen and
Danzig.
The Shipping Board has not yet
received information of the actual
consummation of a parallel deal
with the North German Lloyd on
the part of American interests. 1t
has at least sanctioned no such
agreement.
sixty Services Planned.
As some indication of the globe
girdllng ramifications of the HarrL-
man. Hamburg American line alli- |
ance. it may be mentioned that the
agreement provides for no fewer |
than sixty individual services COW
erihg the following sea regions:
(A) United States tAtlantic ana |
Gulf ports) and Germany, including
intermediate ports of T. call as re- |
quired.
(B) Germany and ports Of the |
world other than United States /
ports: ...ra
/. East coast of South America.
2 Caribbean (west Indian ~uhs