Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-16
HUN SHIP AUCTION
UNDER WAY, WILSON
DENIES AGREEMENT
No Secret Understanding With
England. President TO Inform
the Senate
MUST FLY THE u. S. FLAG
Bv Associated press - Every Evcninz

Nv Associated Press - Every Evcninz
Washington Fob i6 President VIII
son viii inform thc senate emphatcally
that thrre ls no basis for nc rcpOrt Of q
secret agreement brtwcen thc shipping
Board and lhc British interest," fnr tho
salo IF tho 20 forncr German pszrongcr
lncr. Il war announced today af the
White House
The President ncesarr viii - ~ re-
ply to tbn resolution at senator Brand"-
gee KrpuhhraH Connecticut asking for
information regarding thr report the
resolution was adopted hv the Senate .ast
Saturday
Just bcforr tho Whit House an
nouHermort was aadn the public aurfi0n
at ,yhich bid- f0r the eEips acrc received
began at to- Shipping Board ath repre-
sentatfvcg of n0ra than 70 core e +Hlp-
ping cpmpauIes present
Chairman PayIc W4s unable - con
duct the auction ~ br had been summon
sd II appear m person In thr dIstrirt su-
prrme court fn proceedings brought hy
William Il Hearst Of Ncw York for au
injunction to stop the sale tonmis-
sloncr Thomas 5 scott act a fer hu
Iu opening the auction Nir scott road
memorandum from Chairman Pav0c.
which said the highest bids would havc -
bc approved bv the Seuatr Commerce
Committee ard the House Merchant
Marine COmmittoc and that acceptance n
auv buds would depend upon the outcome
81 thc injunction proceedings u thu district
court
The memorandum aid thcae proceed
mes were expected - he concluded within
ie.o or three days bat that To anv eveat
q q
returned by SATURDAY the safes we're
MT eunsummated.
Commissioner scott said thc terms of
tine sale would ~ arranged to sut the
convenience of the board aud The pros
peetigc purchasers and that I'D Ships Sold
must be operated under the american
flag
Among thn shipping men present were
p s. : Franklin. of the International
Mercantile Marine George " Goethais
the American Ship and Commerce Com
paav. s. " Moor ID The Moore and
cCormack Company ina Pm. DcrOude,
ol the Oriental Navigation Company
The FIRST vessels offered Vi p tfln Black
Arrow, the Arnph'on aua thc Philippines.
composing tine group 1i 'H" l1ara sea
service. NO bids acre offered FOR them
The group composing the south tmeri-
can service, the AeoiSi>, Be haih Princess
MntoIka and PocahoLtas Was tnen OF
fered
No bids were received Tor these vlrsei5
nor for he Colombia, Venezuela and
Brazilian service shlge. he Moccasin and
the OtScgo. The southampton service
vessels. thu Ievathau. Mount Vernon.
Again, mnol and Nansemond, Hamburg
service ships, toe Gtorgt Washington.
Martha Washington. Non ~telben and
American, Tic Mediterranean service
vessels, she AhtigoUe, Su>qlehaana, Presi-
dent Grant and trtems, sad he Baltic
service ships, The MaJeUaska and Pow
hatau.
On bid for one 81 the Black Sea feet
WAS received II WAS 100000 for the
Black Arrow and was leaCc Fay The Orkcnat
Navlga tlou Company
T. A. :. Franklin. resident ot the In
ternatioaai Mercantile Marine. offered "a
conditional bid al SIA.05O COO Tor nine
vessels fer service to the { nlted Kingdom
and Nor horn Eurore ports With the
understanding tha tie vessels would rs
retained r. the BEcS Sca service
ComuisS ioner scott stated that he
board world insist upon assurances that
vessels would remain permanently Ia the
admitted that the board could not pat per
mancnt instructions upou the use OF the
craft
The vessels covered by th. hid were the
Levi&than, George Washington. y America.
President Grant \auscinond. Autigune
Pocahontas, Princess Matoika and Callao.
The offer was conditions, upon an agree
mcnt by the shipping Board not to enter
into competition with these vessels Il this
service
Moore and Mccormack offered 81. 500 !
600 for five vessels for the South American
service, and the Munson steamship ljuc a
conditional bid, approXimating s.. $50 25O
for the same vessels. the Martha Washing
ton, Acolus, Huron, Princess Matoika
and the Pocahonta.
George W Geothals, American Ship
and Commerce Corporation, Offered SlO-
100000 for six vessels for the Hamburg
and Bremen service the bid hcieg quickly
raised to $40, 500 600 ~ President Frank
lin Of the International Mercantile Ma
rine
The vessel, are the George Washington
Martha Washington, America President
Grant Nausemond and (a.ls1.