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World Charter Market Reviewed by RELEASE SHIPS Definite Plans Are Made to Return Commandeered Ships Now Engag- ed in Relief Work to Normal Trade OHN H. ROSSETER, director of operations of the shipping board, has promised that a sub- stantial number of American ships will be re- turned to normal trades within a month. This prom- ise was evidently predicated upon the intention of Herbert Hoover to discontinue the fleet that has been 'carrying relief cargoes. The commission on Belgian relief came to an end on May 1, but it is understood that it will be June and perhaps August before the owners of these ships get them back. During the month past, two ships were returned to their owners. Some 500 ships have been engaged in the relief work. The Belgian government appointed Prentiss M. Gray to care for its buying and shipping in the United States. That government will place at his disposal 87,000 tons of requisitioned vessels, and the shipping board has agreed to allocate 250,000 tons more to his control. A new shipping company grows out of the arrangement, known as P. M. Gray & Co., Inc., New York. This company expects ultimately to do a general import and export business. Some prominent Americans are associated in the enterprise. W. A. Harriman has been reputed to have purchased heavily of the stock of the American-Hawaiian line, although rumors have been afloat that a large shipping combination was on foot in which were involved not only this line but the International Mercantile Marine and the Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Steam- ship Co. Large shipping combines are not desired by the shipping board, it is understood, and should any such movement be initiated it would certainly meet with opposition on the part of the government. On the other hand Robert Dollar, of Pacific coast fame, is said to be Dollar asing. te are his headquarters to New York, and to establish a line Interests from New York to Vancouver. En To Expand route, these vessels will call at Pan- ama and ports in the West Indies. __ According to the prospectus it is not intended to withdraw any of the ships of the Dollar Steamship Co. from their present runs but the new services will be established with steamers yet to be acquired. Mr. Dollar intends to build new steel steamers of 10,000-ton capacity for this line. An important move in American shipping circles has also been initiated by the Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Steamship Co. by the purchase of an interest in the Compania Petrolera de Tepetate, S. x which owns 1 large oil acreage in Mexico. It is understood that the purchase was made first with the intention of developing an industry to provide freicht for trans- portation, and second to provide a fuel source for the ships of the several lines owned by hie company 266 Coincident with these steps in advance taken by the American companies, the government has an- nounced its intention to restore the Bush piers at Brooklyn and thereby provide increased docking space. The Russian-American line piers have been returned. Eight other piers will probably be returned within a month. The companies that will be aftected by the restoration of the piers are Funch, Edye & Co., Norton, Lilly & Co.; the Prince lines ; the Lloyd- Braziliero, and the American-Hawatian line. The Eastern Steamship Lines, Inc., decided to re- sume its summer services prior to the announcement of the cailroad administration to permit summer excursion travel. The opening of spring brings a slight improvement in shipping at the port of New York, although it may be a long time before normal is reached again. The large transatlantic lines are of the opinion that European tours will not be open before 1920. Their capacities are taken up exclusively with the return of soldiers. The port of Boulogne- sur-mer, France, however, will be opened to tourist travel by the Holland-American line. . The first American vessel to reach a German port since the war and return docked last month. The Westwarp Ho arrived at Dantzig on Jan. 19 and re- turned on April 8. The West Humuaw arrived at Dantzig, March 4, and returned on April 9. The opening up of Germany will bring a slight relief to the shipping sit- To Use uation because use will be made of o.. the German merchantmen. The al- Vv i lied powers have determined to turn essels the German ships over to the vari- ous allied powers in proportion to the abilities of each to manage the vessels. "As a result of this agreement, the Hamburg- American liner Katserrtn AuGuSTE VICTORIA was brought to New York where she is undergoing repairs to be turned into a transport. The ZEPPELIN, a 15,200-ton vessel built in Germany during the war for the German-Australian passenger trade, also docked at New York dur- ing the month, bringing back American sol- diers. Another German vessel, the Corposa, seized in Peru, has been turned Over to the United States. To Retain Ships CCORDING to a cablegram from Paris, it has been decided that German vessels seized by the United States and Brazil will re- main United States and Brazilian property. Some of the larger vessels seized are as follows, the figures de- Vessels belong- ing to the ship- ping board will be continued to be used in the food relief of Europe, but Chairman Hur- ley is exerting efforts to utilize the tonnage bet- ter than during the past by striving to pro- noting deadweight tonnage: AGAMEM- NON, 8700; America, 20,765; ANTI- GONE, 11,000; Arremis, 11,500; Ax£o- Lus, 12,350; BripcErort, 10,000; Cov- INGTON, 11,717; GrorcE WASHING- TON, 13,000; Levraruan, 15,000; NANSEMOND, 14,700; PuttippriNEs, 13,000, and the Pocanonras, 10,550. Many of these vessels are capable of making fast time: LrviaATHAN logs 24 knots an hour, AGAMEMNON 23%, GrorGE Wasuincton 19 and Covincton 151%. ; 4 ' {