The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-11-22
FRANCE PLANS TO NATIONALIzE
 ITS SHIP LINES

Paris, Nov. 22 (UP)-France now has at her exclusive disposal only about 150,000 tons of merchant shipping, which is one-twentieth of her entire merchant fleet in 1889. It totaled then 2,900,00O tons.
 This extraordinary low figure is due to the fact that part of the fleet has been sunk or destroyed, and another part either is used by the Allies or has been requisi- toned by foreign countries such as Japan and the Argentine Re- public.
 It is confirmed that 100000 tons of French merchant vessels have been destroyed; although the fate of 1000, 900 tons remains uncertain, loss of the greater portion of this latter tonnage is probable. Thus, there are still 100000 tons of French merchant shipping affoat, but 850000 tons being used by the Allied navies, and 100000 tons held in Japanese and Argentine ports, it means France has practically no merchant marine at present.
 Subsidies to End
 The reconstruction of merchant fleet is one of the major problems the French government will face as soon as it becomes materially pos sible to tackle it. French shipowners are anxious to have free hand but Minister of Transport Rene Mayer announced the government 0 n emplateS naturalization of regular lines. Accordingly, cargoes having no fixed itineraries and tramp steamers can continue in the hands of private concerns, but in- stead of continuing to sash big government subsidies, the other companies must fall under direct state administration.
 Minister Mayer said that one or two societies of public service" will be formed to operate in accordance with the different conditions of administration. At least two organi- zationS will function, one for North and South Atlantic traffic, and another for the Mediterranean and Far Eastern traffic. These societies will be under strict government control, but organized on 8 com- mercial basis.
 Until naturalization can be ac- complished, a provisional commit tee will replace the boards of ad- mlnistration in the subsidized com- panieS: this committee is to include civil servants, union delegates and representatives of technicians in the shipbuilding industry, all of whom will be designated by the Minister of Transport. The com- mite vii Administer the fleet be- longing to each subsidized company. control the Company itself, and pre- pare the organization of the So- ciety of Public Service.
 Plan Sea-Air Services
 In spite of that prospect, French Shipowners art planning for post war purposes a closer cooperation between sea and air transport. Many feel that such cooperation can be developed much more than it has been in the past. As early as 1885, one French company dou- bled its merchant traffic on the line from French Senegal to Congo, using transport planes for that purpose. It was quite successful, and the combined sea and air serv- ices on the same line worked smoothly under the same manage ment. More services of this nature may be started.
 There has been no fresh develop ment in the question of French ships requiSitioned by the Argen- tine government. The French com panies owning these ships have adopted the De Gaulle government point of view and expressed their opinion that the three ships held in the Argentine should be return ed to their French owners It is probable that this question will come up again shortly.