The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-02-17
The Shocking, Needless
Scandal of the German
Ship Deal

United States Senote ha9 pooooo
uaanimity Senator McKelars resolution forbsdns ths
Shipping Board to sell the German Aset without express
authority from Congress. We look to tho House with
confident hope that it will do the That Will settle
the matter.
The United States Shipping Board Is not to be trusted
This shown by the surepttious ways in which gave
notice of the SALE by the indeniteness of the condition.
by the absence of any guarantee that the superb hest
should never be aienated from flag or lost to our
naval reserve
No one who knows John Barton Payne could ques
ton his integrity. He is corporation lawyer whose brief
Elk months as the head of the Shipping Board has shown
that he knows nothing about ships.
But it perfectly plain that in the Govern
ment is being overreached by few 6nan-
ciers of great ability.
That is exactly what Woodrow Wilson meant when.
a. candidate for President he said that he Government
has got into the hands of private syndeaes and special
interests and they have set up invisible empire above
the forms Of democracy"
This German feet was appraised by the Government
itself when it was seized at 900.
Major John Devereux York. official naval architect
for the Shipping Board, says that it could not be
duplicated even at that price
President Ferguson, of the Newport News Va, Dry
Dock and Shpbuing Company one of the largest con-
tractors for the Government estfies before the Senate
committee that the Vaezand alone greatest ship in the
world could not be built for less than SIS 600
$4,000 600 today.
The Shipping Board was dickerns to sell this peer.
less express and transport to BrtshWal Street
syndicate for 100000.
That syndicate, whose chairman is British subject,
resident in London offered it. best bid yesterday $l4
100000 for the eleven finest of the German ships.
Any Al-American company, our Government it.
SELF operating those eleven ships in the regular Atlantic
service between New York and British French and Ger
man ports could have successful rival peer, in any
existing steamship line under any flag.
The Shipping Board dickering to sell these thirty
German nearly and the finest and greatest ships
aAoat-at about $50 tom when the BritishWal Street
syndicate, the chief bidder, IS AT THE PRESENT TIME
OF SMALLER SHIPS WHICH ARE TO COST
NEARLY DOUBLE $50 A TON
Ships in the Atlantic trade make eight round hips =
year only between Atlantic ports and the United Kingdom
and the ships recently released by the British admiralty
have earned SIS per lightweight ton per round trip.
committee of shipping men, including this British Wall
Street syndicate recently asked the United States Govern
neut to fix charter rates for s ships at SD ton per
month.
Using these official figures a basis each cargo
vessel company earn, in round figures, from $l6S
to $500 per ton per year.
Adding the passenger traffic. which has gone up so
per cent and express service will probably give $500
ton gross earnings.
Operation is much less expensive than during
the war; when on of submarines bonuses had
p~.>. - get seamen.
The Vaterland has 81, 900 tons.
The BritishWal Street syndicate that offered yeser-
my for its pick of the eleven finest vessels in
the German feet has made PROFIT of much ~
600 in a single year recently out of ts inferior
feet
And it has capitalized that inferior feet at
$1540oo,oo0.