Evening star., 1920-02-17
TENTATIVE OFFERS
CLOSE FOR SHIPS
But One Bid Is Made for One
of Nineteen Ex-Ger-
man Boats.

Tentative bids for the thirty ex-Ger-
man ships now in the possession OF
the United States Shipping Board
were closed today with only one bid
for one of the nineteen ships which
were not bid on individually yester-
day. Tentative bids accepted by the
board yesterday and today for any
ships in groups or as individual ships
are subject to action by the Senate
through the Senate commerce commit
tee, the House merchant marine COM
mittee and the board.
While the auction was in progress
Secretary Tumulty conferred win
Acting Secretary of state POLK re
sarding the tenor of the PRESIDENT ;
answer to a Senate resolution asking
as to an alleged secret agreement be
tween the Shipping Board and Great
Britain for final disposition OF the
former German liners.
The only bid received today on the
nineteen ships remaining without plds
after the auctioning yesterday was an
offer for the ex-German vessel Otsego
made by G. J. Roberts. representing
the Acme Operating Corporation: an
American owned company. MI Rob-
erts offered s550,000 for the ship de-
livered to his company in sea
worthy condition and without trace
restrictions" Regarding terms Of
sale. Mr.. Roberts said he would pay
1915 per cent on signing OF contract
the same amount on delivery ana Iuli
payment in two years, with the usual
per cent interest on unpaid money.
Bid Only on OtseEo.
While all the men who offered bids
for the ships yesterday were present
again at the auction today, Commits
sioner Scott. acting as auctioneer
read name after name of some of the
finest ships afloat. including the Levi
athan and the George Washington,
without a single bid being made for
any of them except the Otsego. The
government will retain possession OF
the ships on which no bids were re-
ceived
The Leviathan was the first ship
put up for sale, and p. A. S. Franklin.
president of the international Mercantile
Marine, asked whether all bids for the
Ievia than prior to yesterday had been
withdrawn. Commissioner Scott replied
that all outstanding bids. including
the bid of 81, ,000.0 900 for the Leviathan
from the International Mercantile Ma
rine, had been withdrawn and that
bidding would be without reference to
any previous figure set by any COM
pany. The ships that remained un-
sold a. individual ships after the clos
ing of the auction are the Leviathan,
Agamemnon. Mount Vernon, George
washington, Won Steuben, America,
De Kalb, Aeolus. Huron, Moccasin,
Mercury, Powhatan. Orion, President
Grant, Nansemond. Philippines, Wyan-
dotte and Freedom.
One bid from the Munson line for the
Martha Washington is outstanding, Mr..
scott said. There is outstanding, also.
80 %
one of $1,O4S,16O from the Munson line
for the Aeolus. These outstanding bids
have not yet been considered by the
board, Mr.. Scott said. nor have checks
been returned to the bidders
Accepta1ces Conditional.
Commissioner Scott made it clear be-
fore the auction began that all bids ac-
cepted are conditional on ratification by
the Senate commerce committee and the
merchant marine committee of the
House, and pending the decision of Chief
Justice Mccoy of the District Supreme
Court on an injunction to. prevent sale
of the ships brought by William Ran
dolph Hearst of New York.
Mr. Scott said today no checks are
being taken by the board from bid
ders as an earnest of their intention
to possess the ships, but the bids are
merely being noted pending action of
Congress and the District Supreme
Court.
The individual ships on which ten
tative bids were accepted yesterday
and the amounts follow: Black Arrow,
100000, Oriental Navigation Com
pany; Princess Matoika, 1915, 900, In
ternational Mercantile Marine; Sus-
quehanna, $650,000. c. B. Richard &
Co; Artemis, $750,00O. lnterna-
tional Mercantile Marine: Amphion
s275,ooo, G: B: Richard & Co;
Antigone, 100000, International Bu-
reau Of Supplies; Eten, 100000. ORR
entail Navigation Company: Madawas-
ka, 1876, 900, Oriental Navigation Com
pany; Pocahontas, $925.000, Interna-
tional Mercantile Marine. and Callao.
| 81, 900, 900, American Ship and Com
merce Corporation.
According to Shipping Board calcu-
lation, the best offers received yester-
day repres ent a total of $21, $50, ,OOO
for fifteen ships. which includes $13,-
100 900 offered for six vessels by the
International Mercantile Marine and
| a total Of $s,750.000 for nine ships in
dividually.
Confirmation of the bids by Congress
must include the stipulation that the
ships shall be operated under the
American flag.