The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-03-24
GERMAN SHIPS
 NO DANGER TO
 J. s. BUSINESS


 have no control over American ships, other than to serve as their agents. l if the plan outlined by the Shipping Board to take over the sixty trade l routes formerly maintained by the 1 German company is adopted, accord | ing to Thomas A. Scott, Commission l CT of the Shipping Board, who was l in New York yesterday. He stated that the board did not intend to en- ter into any direct agreement with the Hamburg-American Line, but that it proposed to take advantage of this opportunity through the medium of private companies.
 Under the terms of the proposed agreement, the Hamburg-American Line will permit Shipping Board yes sels to make use of it's terminals and docks located in Hamburg and else where exclusively. According to Commissioner Scott, the German line will merely serve as the agents for I the American vessels, and encourag- | ments will be lent to the effort to 1 build up the agencies for the Amer | ican ships in ports outside of Ger many unless the organization which 1 the Germans have is considered bet | ter. He stated that the Shipping | Board had the privilege of withdraw l ing from the agreement at any time, whereas it could tie up the Hamburg. American Line for a period of twenty years, if it so desired.
 | '"The Shipping Board does not in- 1 tend to enter into any direct arrange ment with the Hamburg-American Line,' Commissioner Scott said yes | terday, at the offices of Assistant Di- rector of Operations George Sterling | at 45 Broadway. Ut does feel that ] the United States has a great oppor- 1 tunity to step into a vacancy which was created by the enforced retire ment of Germany from>shipping. The l Hamburg-American Line operated sixty services before the war, and it is the plan of the Shipping Board to l step in and resume all of them.
 1 ''No definite arrangements have been made as yet with the Hamburg American line, and they will depend upon the extent to which we can in- | terest the private American compan- | ies in the opening. Future action will | depend upon whether the private companies have the grit to step in l and take the chance. We want them
 to put part of their own tonnage on
 the lines, and we will promise to al
 locate to them a certain number of 1 Shipping Board Vessels.'
 When MT. Scott was told that the
 shipowners had expressed the opin-
 ion that in the resumption of the
 sixty freight route losses would be sustained while the trade was being
 developed, he said that he did not
 think this would be the case.
 We plan to allocate to the various
 lines tonnage as the demand for ships
 develops, he said. ''There is 9 con- l siderable amount of goods in Ger l T09 1oIo
 this is proved by the fact that Ship-
 ping Board vessels which operate to Germany are returning with large | cargoes. As the commercial relations { or Germany grow the number of ves-
 sels assigned to the various trade . routes will be increased so as to take
 care of the freight requirements.
 Tt is the belief of the Shippins
 Board that the American steamship
 companies will be willing to put some
 of their own ships on some of the ' routes, and that they perhaps vii . later buy the vessels engaged upon 2 the services. We do not propose tc
 sell any vessels to the Germans. no,
 oo we intend to turn over any of tht
 shlps to them. The nature of the 5 contract which may be entered into
 Is such that we can withdraw from i at our option, while we can tie up the . 1 1anDurS-Amer1can Line for as Ions as twenty years. However, the gree
 ments are to be made by the prfvat, . companies with the Hamburg-Amer
 ican Line and not by the Shippins
 Board We merely recognize this a; an opportunity to get the use of som, S rather valuable facilities, which ar, + to be used exclusively by the Ameri | can lines"
 le e Mr. Scott said that if the American 5 were faEsighted they would try t, build up their own agencies in othe
 ports so that they would be protected
 in event the Hamburg-American Lin, '1 later set up it's own freight lines witt - ships owned by the German interests In regard to the apprehension O
 some of the exporters that the reha b
 iliation of the German freight ser o vices would put the German expor
 houses in the field to compete wit
 the American interests. MT. Scot }, was of the opinion that this bugabo V had been exaggerated and that whil
 it would confer some benefits on in s German commercial houses it wouI