Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-05-14
SALE Of 400 SHIPS
TO FORD OPPOSED
AS CR|PPL|NG us.
Shipping Board Official De-
clares Proposed Scrapping
Would Cut Security.
OFFER FOR VESSELS
NOT RECEIVED AS YET
Thompson Cites Course of Other
Nations in Preserving Their
Present Tonnage.

Henry Fords willingness to buy
400 ships from the Shipping Board,
involving large scrapping program,
met with immediate opposition today
in some Shipping Board quarters.
AT the same time it was made
clear that no offer from Mr.. Ford had
been received by the board, and the
members are awaiting the return of
Chairman O'Connor from a trip to
Detroit and Buffalo before formally
going into such a question
While the view was expressed that
eventually three or four hundred of
the laid-up ships, including for the
most part lakers, would be forced
on the junk pile, some of the COM
mlssioners said today that 1T was by
no means certain that the board
would agree to any wholesale scrap
ping for some time to come.
Thompson Opposes Scrapping.
Commissioner Thompson in state
ment said:
For a long time certain American
owners and operators of foreign flag
ships have been urging the destruction
or large portion of Government
of other countries are being destroyed
nor has such been proposed.
1T Is costing approximately $500
each a year to keep the surplus ships
owned by the Government Their
value, as naval auxiliaries, at this
moment Of world conditions cannot be
accurately measured. Their value an
important units in an American mer-
chant marine when normal world con-
ditions are restored is an added Sc
curity to American exporters, pro-
ducers and consumers. Obviously, it
would be greatly to the marine inter
est of foreign nations for the United
States to destroy one-third of it's fleet
of ships.
LAS yet, 1 have seen no sound rea.
sons advanced why the United States,
of all nations, should weaken its naval
, auxiliary, and economic position in
| world trade, and stand alone in a pro-
! gram to remove surplus ship ton
mage"
900 Ships Laid Up.
The question of scrappins ships has
been up before the board several times
in recent months and has developed
by no means a unanimity of opinion.
| A subcommittee, comprising Chair
man O'Connor and Commissioners
Plummer and Benson, has been direct
ed to prepare report on the Ques-
ton, and its recommendations will
form the basis of future discussion by
the board. There are 900 ships at
present laid up and being maintained
at cost of less than $1,000, 900 a
year.
Should scrapping program be de-
termined upon, the lakers, of which
there are about 800 laid UP, would
form the bulk of those to be junked.
These ships average about $500 dead
weight tons and cost from one half to
three-quarters of million dollars each
to build. About so of them have been
sold for operation at net prices run
ming from $25, 900 to S35. 900 each.
Some of the commissioners express
ed the belief today that if they were
sold for junking they probably would
not bring more than $4,000 each.
Should sale of several hundred ships
for scrapping be decided upon, it is
expected that the matter would be re-
ferred to the ship sales committee,
headed by Commissioner Lissner, and
that the ships would be advertised for
sale and the awards made to the high
est bidders. This would mean that
Mr.. Ford would have to enter the field
against all other bidders.
Vessels Widely Scattered.
There are 3O1 of the lake type of
boat built by the Shipping Board
| negotiations for the sale of which
are reported to be contemplated
by Henry Ford. All of these ves-
| sells are now laid up in vari.
Gus parts of the world. The ships
are long with a narrow beam so
that they could get through the canal
between Great Lakes and the sea, and
| all Of these were built at shipyards
| of the Great Lakes.
| Sixty-two of the vessels are at New
York, % at Philadelphia. 165 in the
James River, Al in the Gulf of Mexico
| and 4 at Manila.
| In addition to the lake type vessels
| in the James River, there are for
| mer Austrian and German vessels
| seized at the beginning of the war,
and it is believed the Ford negotia-
| lions include these also.