Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-02-24
The Sale of Shlbs.

H~ HE effort to discredit the Shipping
Board with respect to the proposed
sale of the German liners hasn't sue
ceeded. Unsupported charges are not likely
to persuade the American people that John
Barton Payne and his associates are engaged
in foul conspiracy to sacrifice the ships to
British interests and to the detriment of the
American merchant marine.
Anent the agitation, Senator Jones, of
Washington, chairman of the Commerce
Committee of the Senate, and a Republican,
remarks: 1.-The Administration are not of
my party, but I believe they are honest men
and patriotic citizens" He referred to MIR.
Payne and his associates and their admins
tration of the affairs of the Shipping Board
Mr.. Payne himself, who has recently been
nominated by the President to be Secretary
of the Interior, succeeding Franklin K. Lane,
resigned, has helped to clarity the atmos
phere enveloping the proposed sale. "The
ships" he writes, "are to be sold to Ameri-
cans only, and will sail under the American
flag, will serve the routes which in the opin-
ion of the Shipping Board will best serve
American Commerce, and will always be
available to the Government in case of any
National emergency Mr. Payne is an Amer
lean of character and reputation, and his as
surance should be sufficient to disabuse the
minds of any persons who may have been de-
The law creating the Shipping Board and
defining it's powers conferred ample authority
upon Mr.. Payne and his associates to dis
pose of the German ships. The Board widely
advertised the ships. Every shipping office
in the country has been fully informed of the
proposed sale. The widest publicity has at
tended every step taken by the Board. 1t
has never been proposed even to "knock
down" the ships to the highest bidder, unless
the offer was otherwise satisfactory to the
Beard. Every safeguard was planned to pro-
tect the interests of the Government and
the American people.
1T has seemed to the Shipping Board"
remarks the New York Times, that the
interests of the Government required the
sale of these German steamships which
were taken over during the war, because in
the first place, it would cost too large a sum-
seventy-fve million dollars, to reft them
for passenger service (twenty OF them
were used as troop transports), and, in
the second place, the Shipping Board could
not, 1t was believed, operate passenger
ships under the prohibition law in compe-
tition with ships under foreign flags on
which spirits, wines and beer were sold to
passengers" Dry ships apparently are
not popular, it appears, and this fact evil
IDENTIFY has impressed itself upon the mem
bers of the Shipping Board
The Board is satisfied that the German
liners cannot be refitted at a cost of
seVenty-fve million dollars and operated
prohtably as passenger-carrying ships in
competition with vessels that are more at
tract1ve to travellers. The Board thinks
II the wise policy to sell the ships al q
time when there is brisk demand, but,
as MT. Payne points out the Board has
never considered the sale of them to other
than American interests and under such
conditions as will promote the American
merchant marine.