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World Charter Market Reviewed by RETAINS SHIPS United States to Retain 700,000 Teadweight Tons of Enemy Passenger and Cargo Boats \ N JHILE the country is still discussing the pro- | posal of the shipping board to sell the government's merchant ships to private oper- ators, the past month has marked some radical changes in maritime conditions. The prospective dis- solution of the International Mercantile Marine Co. signalizes the dissociation of the British interests in -an important American shipping venture. The or- ganization of this company will remain and P. A. S. Franklin, its president, will have the opportunity to take advantage of that organization and float an Amer- ican fleet that will be a monument to the United States. The second development which is destined to have an important influence upon the American marine was the decision of the peace conferees to permit the United States to retain the German and Austrian ships seized in our ports. Had the German merchantmen been divided upon the basis of losses, many of these vessels would have been turned over to Great Britain. By the agreement reached, the United States will retain practically 700,000 dead- weight tons of enemy passenger and cargo boats. These include 289,245 tons of the Hamburg-American line, 233,758 tons of the North German Lloyd, 29,120 tons of the German-Australian line, 22,636 tons of the Hansa line, 9486 tons of the Kosmos line, and 27,984 tons of other lines. : The acquisition of the former enemy tonnage, how- ever, concentrates a still greater maritime power in the hands of the government. Supplementing this acquisition, the United States government has pur- chased three of the piers of the Hamburg-American line at Hoboken, N. J. The purchase was made of the alien property 'custodian. Private operators are naturally res- tive not only over the extension of Inc.:; the Sacua to the Atlantic Fruit Co.; the Argnags to the United Fruit Co.; the Crorron Hatt to the United States Steel Products Co.; the Mauer to the Maumee Steamship Corp.; the Mavusav to the Compania Tobacos Filipinos; the CHINco to the Naf- ra line; the Mun1es to the Munson Steamship Co.; the KERESAN to the Kerr Navigation Corp.; the Wn- tram M. Pace to Castner, Curren & Bullitt; and the TRANSPORTATION to the Coastwise Transportation Co, It is impossible for private operators to compete with the government vessels. It would probably be impossible were all of theit ships returned. On the other hand, the shipping board is making an aggressive movement in the carrying trade by planning a num- ber of definite lines to be established with allocated ships. The department of commerce is advising with the board in selecting the lines upon which to run such vessels. According to the plans already an- nounced, three former German liners, the AGAMEM- won, the Von StTeuBEN and the Mount Vernon, will be placed in a run between the United States and South American ports. Five vessels will be operated between New Orleans and Brazil, the first to be allocated in July. Three others will run out of New York to South America. The South Atlantic Mari- time association has been formed and to it will be allocated 14 merchant craft to serve the South American trade. The fruit trade has~ petitioned the shipping board to allocate 100 ships Demand to the carriage of fruit. These are Mace needed to serve the growers in Flori- : da, California, Porto Rico and Cuba. Ships It is expected that there will be a big movement of apples out for Eng- land, France and South Africa dur- ing August and September. To move the fruit crop it is estimated that 100 ships will be required with insulation space of 100,000 to 200,000 cubic feet in each. The coal exporters declare they will require tonnage sufficient to export approximately 100,000,- 000 tons of coal between now and the end of the current. y ¢€ ar; In contrast with the announced plans for the Bureau Makes Money N June 9, the government re- government ves- Checkmate government ownership in shipping sels: is the lim- ceived over $67,000,000 when Deis a. matters, but also over the continua- ited 'activity of the marine and seamen's division, tion. of such ownership as was ac- private Amer- bureau of war risk insurance, Owners quired during the period of belliger- ican lines. A closed business... Of this $50,- ency. It has been announced from official sources that the inhibition against granting passports to wives and mothers of men of the American forces abroad will be removed this month. Generally, it is proposed to make it easier for foreign traveling. On the other hand, the Interallied Maritime council will continue its con- trol over passenger vessels even after the peace treaty is signed. This control will exist probably for several months to come. The end of government control is.not yet in sight and shipping men are settling themselves down to the fate of managing and operating such vessels as the government selects to allocate to them. During the past month only 11 vessels were released and, returned to their owners. These were the Carrs to the Carib Steamship Co., 318 new company, at the head of whieh 1s A. Franfel, presi- dent of the French - Amer- ican Steamship Co., has been formed 'to oper- ate a steamboat service between Boston, South Norwalk, Conn., and New York. rie sPaeat Steamship Corp. 000,000: was the untouched reserve and $17,000,000 profits. The divi- sion was organized as a war emergency to provide insurance on American hulls, freights, car- goes, masters, officers and crews. During its life, the division wrote insurance on hulls, cargoes and freights to the value of $2,167,- 367,884, its premiums totaled $46, 758,995, while the losses and op- erating expenses were $30,181,567. On seamen, policies aggregated $21,857,430, premiums $842,148 and loss and expenses $370,596.