Evening star., 1925-07-16
FORD'S SHIP BID,
OPENED TODAY, IS
HIGH; STARTS ROW
Previously Leading Firm De-
mands Entirely New
Deal in Case.
s1,7O6,OOO is OFFERED
BY AUTO MANUFACTURER
Exceeds Others by 1886, ,0o0-Pal-
mer to Make Recommendation
Within Week.
By the Associated Press.

| Henry Ford has offered 81 1,706, 900 for
| the 200 Shipping Board vessels set
aside for Scrapping. His bid was opened
| with others today by the Fleet Cor
poration. 1t compares with S1,370 900
offered by the Boston Iron & Metal
Co. OF Baltimore when the original
bids were opened June 80. The Balti-
| more company's tender was favored
| by Pre- sident Palmer of the Fleet Cor
poration, but rejected by the Shipping
Board, which called for new proposals.
AS soon as the Ford bid was opened
| by the Fleet Corporation today, the
| Boston Iron and Metal Co. entered
! formal protest against receipt of any
new bids 1t held that such a course
was in violation of the original ad-
vertisement for offers, which called
for negotiations only with the original
bidders of June 80, if outright ac-
ceptance or complete rejection of bids
then opened was voted.
Ask Entirely New Deal
The Boston Iron and Metal Co.
withdrew its original offer after it
had been rejected and it demanded to-
day that all proposals now be rejected
! and new offers called for under a new
advertisement and entirely new pro-
ceedings.
Waterside Salvage Corporation Of New
York, which also was among the orig
inal bidders.
President Palmer will submit to the
board, probably early next week, a new
recommendation on the basis of the
bids. The board. under the law, has
the authority finally to approve or
disapprove his recommendations. and
President Coolidge has indicated that
he does not question this authority,
although it was at his suggestion that
the power for negotiating all sales was
placed exclusively in the hands of the
Fleet Corporation. Whether the Chief
Executive will seek a change in this
situation by legislation when Congress
meets has not been indicated.
The boards procedure was defend
ed by its legal counsel.
Mr.. Ford, who made the highest
spot cash offer, said he would retain
some of the hulls for conversion to
Diesel engine propulsion for salt
water operation. His purpose previ-
ously has been described as con-
templating use of refrigerator ships,
taking automobile supplies to Latin
America and returning with fruit.
Discarded boilers and engines he
would use in his own plants
Uther BIDS Announced.
Other bids besides the original
bids which stodo or We're amended
included:
Frank Harris Sons, Inc, of Chicago,
offered to guarantee $1250,000 for
the 200 vessels, and to share on an
equal basis with the board whatever
is obtained for the ships by scrapping
from their disposal.
A G. Wilson of Bar Harbor Me
representing. he said. the Ocean
81, ,444 900 for the 200 vessels, but did
not submit check with his offer, so
that it had no legal standing.
The Newport News Shipbuilding
and Dry Dock Co., in an amended offer
bid S80S, 500 for 139 vessels An amend
ed bid was also received from the
General Metal Supply Co. of San
Francisco in three alternative offers
along the lines of its original offer.
Another new offer was from August
A. Wesser and Dan Robbins of Buff
falo, n. Y. of s650.000 for the 200
vessels. Other bids received were from
J. T. knight & Son of Columbus, Ga,
of IS, 500 each for % vessels; the Sun
Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. of
Chester, Pa, of from $500 to $500
each for 10 ships; N Block & Co. of
Norfolk, Va, S114000 for 25 vessels
Hickman, Williams & Co. of Phila-
delphia, S94860 for II vessels: Union
Shipbuilding Co. of Baltimore, $9.100
each for so vessels; B. l.. Stafford
of New York, $4,000 for two ships
The Hart Electrical Enterprise Co. of
New Orleans made an offer for three
vessels, but transmitted no check, so
the offer did not stand.