The Washington herald., 1922-03-27
GERMANY BUSY
BUILDING ships
Her Merchant Marine
Gains Rapidly, Despite
Reparations.
GOODS IN DEMAND
New Tonnage Superior to Pre-
War Fleet, and Mostly
Cargo Carriers.


less pressure Of time will deprive
the GeF5nan delegation at Genoa of !
what swhen the armistice was
signed. seemed TO many Germans
the best argument to advance to
prove that the country's economic
future was hopeless IN 1913 1t
seemed that Germany. without its
Tremendous mercantile marine,
which Nhad not only transported
GermArt goods to all corners of the
world al preferential rates, but had
earned a very handsome surplus as
a carrier for foreign account. was
hopelessIy hampered in its attempt
to compete with foreign countries.
At The present time barely day
passes without the announcement
in the German papers OF the open
ing OF some new steamship line or
the launching Of several additional
thOusA 1d tons of the postwar fleet.
ON August l. 1911, Germany had
a MERCANTILE fleet OF almost 5000
ships With a registered gross ton
age OF about $500. 900 tons. by the
treaty. Of peace about 100000 tons
passed into allied hands. partly as
a recognition of Confiscation of in
termed sships during the war and
partly In the shape OF deliveries to
the al led and associated powers of
ships s1ill in German harbors.
Roses ships to Others.
All, German vessels over 1000
Ions. and half Of those between
f.8OO Z and l,6OO tons were taken
away from Germany to cOmpsen-
safe Tor the shipping lost by the
allies during the war. chiefly
through submarine sinkinEs. In
addition. Germany is required to
construct 1000. 900 tons Of shipping
for anhd reparatiOn account during
the hrst five years following the
signing OF the treaty.
PROMINENT among the members
Of the Sherman peace delegation at
Versailles was Philip Heineken. at
that time managing director of the
North German Lloyd and recently
appointed chairman of the board of
director of the company. Heineken.
who was the author of the German
proposal to pay a total of 100000
100000 gold marks to the allies for
reparatiOn purposes. on condition
that Germany were allowed to keep
her colonies and her merchant ma
rine and to suffer no territorial
losses sin Europe. claimed that IL
would be absolutely impossible for
the German merchant marine to
position under the peace terms die
tated blythe allies and later signed
by Germany.
Now Head Two shipping Lines.
As late as the conference at Spa
Dr. Wilhelm Cuno. director general
Of the Hamburg America Line and
one Of the German delegates to the
conference. predicted a possible COL
lapse Of the worlds entire economic
fabric 10 part OF its ships were not
gratuitOusly restored to Germany.
Al the present these two men are
the head of the only two shippfnI
lines in the world whose strength
Is automatically increasing, and by
leaps and bounds. from day to day.
The Germans claim that the rapid
rise Of the postwar German mer-
camille marine, which will sooner
or later react disastrously to the
shipping interests Of other coun-
tries. sfs sonly another consequence
of the Operations solution forced
upon Germany. Hundreds Of
thousands of tons of shipping are
idle thFoug hout the world. solely
becausesthe industries of the cour-
tries in question are unable to sell
their products to other countries,
and consequently have no use for
NuE large NUMBERS OF native bot
toms. produced as a result of war
conditions or taken over from Ger
many. On the other hand. Ger
many. whose products are being
sold in the world literally faster
than they can be produced here. is
using not only the German feet in
existence. but building new ships and
buying back from England and
other countries some Of the ton
mage turned over in consequence of
the treaty.
ShIPyards In Full Swing.
The construction of new ships
though it is proceeding in full blast
in all German shipyards. is a slow
process. and Germany has adopted
all sorts of methods to increase the
total tonnage under its flag or. L.
not under its faC. operating wholly
or in part for German profit. Ships
are constantly being bought from
neiEhbOrinE countries. and the two
new ships-tO he named ResOIute
ard Dehance-whiCh will be put
into operation this spring by the
Hambur=-American Line. were pur-
chased from Holland.
Not long after the armistiCe Ger
many purchased about SO 900 tons. |
exclusively for freightinG purposes.
from Sweden. Additional purchases
are made from time to time from
Norway and Holland. and a repre-
sentative " the German sh piping |
interests in America displayed con-
siderable interest in the sales held !
b by the Shipping Poard until the !
sudden fall of the mark. from so |
to 500 to the dollar. autornat icalIy |
made his interest purely academic |
SO far as purchases with German |
paper money were concerned.
German shipping today is operat- |