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: j 1 ey adelphia. It is expected that all the German vessels interned in South American ports will also be turned over to the United States. The acquisition of these boats will probably check the tendency of the navy taking over American vessels and turning them into troopers, but it will not release any private vessels already taken over for this service. The shipping board has announced that it will shortly release 10 Dutch vessels, seven to the Royal Netherlands Steam- ship Co. and three to the Royal Dutch West Indian Mail. After being taken over by the United States as a war emergency, these vessels were used in the West Indian trade. They have been earning the bare-boat charter rate of 35 shillings. The government is paying a charter rate of $4.15, bare boat, for vessels of a speed up to 11 knots. On some Danish boats it is known that the government is paying a charter rate of $10.75, bare boat. This is a considerable disparity and because of it some suggestions have been made that all foreign ships be released. But the government's requirements for tonnage are so large that it is reported to be in the market for more ships, especially for troop transpor- tation. This is an important fact just now when some of the German tonnage is being acquired and ship brokers are giving the matter careful attention. Charters in the open market are bringing 35 shillings. Tonnage. sought for grain with April-May loading from the North- xperts in [his Country and Abroad RELEASE SHIPS Ten Dutch Vessels Recently Em- ployed in West Indian Trade to be Returned to Their Owners been quoted as low as $41 but went up to $50 per ton. The shipping board has continued its rate-fixing policy by quoting rates to other European, South American and Far Eastern ports. The market has not reflected these rates to any considerable extent. Freights have continued unusually firm and exports are piling up at the Atlantic ports. Some exporters have undertaken sales contracts upon the belief that the announced shipping board rates would apply. | When the goods were delivered at the port they found no vessels available and the open market freight rate was too high to warrant the forwarding of the shipments. As a consequence these goods have been accumulating in the warehouses. Small shippers unanimously make the same complaint, insist- ing that they are not able to do any business. There is accumulating evidence that the great disparity between costs of operating American ships and operating foreign ships is disappearing, although there is no sufficient proof that the difference will Atlantic ern ome o France has been oa ed at shillings per quarter, with Rates Italy closed at 18 shillings. Dead- Advance weight cargo is not being offered. It is said that on net form a prompt ; vessel could easily have secured $30 or $40 to the French Atlantic, $40 being an offer for April loading. Virginia coal has been fixed at the customary rate to South America, while cotton re- mained steady, business being booked at $2 per 100 pounds from South Atlantic ports to England. Time chartering continued at 21 shillings for six months. The © shipping board has been allocating the bulk of the gov- ernment ships to the transat- lantic trade al- though some are being used to bring in the Faith Goes Overseas | ONSIDERABLE interest has been aroused by the fact that the concreter FairuH is to make a transatlantic voyage. One object of this decision is to convince Euro- pean critics of the practicability of ; lian sug- concrete craft for overseas service. Aegis cae N. L. Mathiesen, master of the Tie ae. i i t the ; Fartu, is firmly convinced o have nde cedd vessel's seaworthiness and points to the fact that she has successfully weathered deep-sea voyages ag- gregating 18,000 miles. Captain Mathiesen is authority for the state- ment that so far the vessel is abso- lutely watertight and that it has never been necessary to start her bil The F ae also advanced ilge pumps. e FAITH, appar- within the past ently, is a sound vessel. 1 few weeks The French rate has their transatlan- tic rates from $20 to $33.60 a ton or 84 cents per cubic foot. Rates on French vessels have carried out on the original terms, look forward to a 229 ever be entirely wiped out. Some comfort has been derived from the news from Paris which stated that the International Seamen's congress has gone on record as favoring an international minimum scale of wages on ships of 15 pounds sterling or $65 per month. Cardiff seamen have petitioned the British admiralty protesting against the employment of Chinese on British ships. The British costs have been mounting so rapidly that the English have no intention of inviting unbridled competition with the American merchant marine. When the original ocean rate cut was made soon after the signing of the armistice THE Marine Review declared that there was no evidence that the cut was the forerunner of a rate war. Evidence has since developed indicat- ing that the original cut was the result of a frank conference between the maritime representatives of the allied governments, including the United States, in London and the shipping board was notified long in advance of the proposed action and given a copy of the new schedule of rates about three days before they were promulgated. Shipowners and operators have many problems of their own which . Perplexing are not working out at all satisfac- torily. One case in point is the Problems position of the many owners of Are Faced vessels built prior to the war to meet the requirements of certain charterers. These boats were time chartered for a long term of years, in some cases for almost the whole life of the ship. The cost of running has been doubled by the war, so that, in place of anticipated profit when the contract was signed, the owners must, if the contract is to be BS £ rs