New-York tribune., 1920-08-31
Sees GERMANY
Back on Seas
With u. S. Aid
Hamburg Line Director Saws
We Have Laid Foundation
for the Restoration of
Teutons' Shipping Power
Warned by Huldermann
Tells Fellow Countrymen
They Must Not Underrate
Americas Trade Fleet

- wal hlHS " NeImdny not TO Onder-
rate the power of the new American
merchant marine is sounded by Ber-
hard Huldermann, a director of the
! Hamburg gAmerican company, in an
article contributed to the Hamburg
shipping paper Hansa, a translation of
which appears in the Nautical Gazette.
Herr Huldermann was in New York
few months ago with his associates
i'll the company. DR. Cuno and Herr
Peltzer, and was interested in the
negotiations between American ship
ping interests and his line. These, he
says, have resulted in strong founda-
tion stones for the restoration of Ger
man shipping.
10 regard the American as some
thing ephemeral," he says, "or to
imagine that it will be unable to win
for itself an important position among
the old seafaring nations would be Just
as fatal an error as that which we
made light -heartedly when We under
estimated the military Importance of
americas entry into the war
Ballin Prophecy Recalled
The prophetic utterance of Albert
Rallin, made in the spring of 1917:
These hundreds of millions of people
Will teach US q terrible lesson has been
realized on the fullest scale. And one
IS astonlshed TO note from the Amer
.can military establishment which is
still retained on the other side the tre-
n:endous power Of organization and the
vast expenditure Of resources which
give to this terrible lesson its foun-
catlon and strength.
The heart OF the American nation
Is now set on the upbuildlng and de-
veiopment OF its MERCHANT marine, and
this alone will suffice to bring it
through ali the troubles of infancy
and through all mistakes safely to the
goal OF success. The saying of the
elder Morgan is here applicable The
man who sells the United States short
is going to ruin himself So we have
got TO accept as q fact 4 large Ameri-
can merchant marine and g correspond
ing position in ocean commerce Of
the United States. The fact that the
wise heads IN America are wei aware
OF their lack OF experience in many
things and their unfamiliarity with
them is all the more a guarantee OF
their final success"
Huldermann adds that "the COM
munity OF interest recently concluded
ping is an outcome Of the facts
stated. German overseas trade. he
says. will require to be Iaboriously
built I'D again
"Germany's Prestige Lost"
German shipping to-day he con-
tinues, rs like a firm which has re-
ceived bad blow financially, and has
consequently suffered q loss of pres
tige in the eyes Of the world, but which
stil. retains its business knowledge
and ability, although unable to con-
duct affairs in the old way and TO the
former extent And il IS not only
that-the firm has also lost most of
its points of foreign support, without
which it would seem ;mpossibl to re-
build q business at all CORES ponding
20 the former proportions. In these
circumstances il is to be deemed for
tunate that on the other side CT the
Atlantic large American merchant
marine is being created and organ
ized."
rangement, Huldermann says that the
restoration OF the network OF Hamburg
American lines is to be "attempted"
with American and German shipping in
such way that both sides Will have
equal rights and equal participation
while maintaining their full identity
and independence. This" he continues
"is the fundamental principle of the
agreement, and throughout the negotia
tions there was just Us little departure
from il as from the original idea with
which the negotiations began, namely
the utilization of the resources OF the
other. 1t is significant of American
perception and grasp Of the situation
that this basis of the discussion now
ended was first put forward from the
other side
Agreement Pleases Germans
Expressing qualification over the
agreement, Huldermann adds: "W e can
hardly have any ground for dissarisfac-
ton. especially as the conditions of
North Atlantic traffic really demands
heavy American partici patton. For in
this traffic the American Continent has
always been far more the giver than
the receiver. However. in the restora-
ton OF the communications between
Germany and the rest of the world
America is in j position to afford Us
strong support. Without support, Civ
ing US assistance not only in the begin
ming. but continuously, no start can be
made with the work OF restoration, un
less We arc prepared to be nothing
more than 4 ,1lbute-paying nation
Commenting on the outlook for the
"seafarng and shore personnel OF the
mo rav.
mann says that he must content him
self with pointing out that strong
foundation stones have been assembled
for the restoration of German ship
ping, and that. in our present position,
this is at any rate something gained.
If the foundations are to be laid and
the new structure erected thereon. labor
and industry are the first and second
requirements. Let there be no mistake
about that. Only these can again pro
duce what on the other side is signiti
cantiy termed German efficiency.
Aged Woman Is Suffocated