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World Charter M OUTLOOK GOOD American Bottoms Carry About 50 Per Cent of American Commerce and the Proportion is Increasing a -------- CCORDING to present prospects, one-half of America's foreign commerce will soon be carried in American bottoms. The latest tabulation of the government shows that in April 47 per cent of our commerce was carried in American ships. The proportionate increase in the American merchant marine has been progressing rapidly ever since. The bulk of these ships, however, are govern- ment owned and are being operated for shipping board account. The board announced last month that 221 ships of 1,172,704 deadweight tons, flying the American flag, are now plying out of New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Wilmington, N. C., on routes to the east and west coasts of South America, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, Africa, transatlantic ports, the Mediterranean and South Europe, West Indies, Levant, Straits Settle- ment and Dutch East Indies. From Hampton Roads, Va., Charleston, S..@, Savannah, Ga., Brunswick, Ga., Jacksonville, Fla., Pensacola, Fla., Mobile, Ala., Tampa, Fla., New Orleans, Gulfport, Miss., Gal- yee. tex, Jexas City, Tex.,. and Port: Arthur; Tex., a total of 697,807 deadweight tons are plying. The predominating position of the shipping board vesesls in the charter market is giving the government a powerful hand in the rate-making situation. Ocean rates have been on the downward trend during the _ past month and privately owned vessels are being compelled to observe the government rates almost as soon as published. The board has inaugurated a cargo liner service from New York to Constantinople and Black Sea ports with the steamship Haucuuca, 7300 deadweight tons. Private..American lines have been receiving their ships back from Peivate requisition but slowly, despite the Ships rapid reduction of war services. eo d During the first 21 days of June, the eturne war department returned to the shipping board over 199,000 dead- weight tons of requisitioned ships, but the shipping board returned only nine ships. to their owners during the month. The tonnage now in use by the war department has dropped to ap- proximately 1,300,000 deadweight tons, as compared with 3,253,000 tons under requisition on Dec. 2 last. Of the present tonnage in service for the war de- partment, 1,129,000 deadweight tons are being used to bring back troops, 28,000 tons are refrigerators and about 150,000 tons are cargo carriers. The ships returned to their owners during June were the Par- THION to the Olympia Shipping Co., Santa Rosata to the United Steel Products Co., Lessexz to D. H. EF. Jones, ForDONIAN to American-Mediterranean Steam- ship Co., Amazonta to Perros P. Tatanis, Motpr- 366 arket Reviewed by GAARD to Bull Insular Steamship Co., Ex Occipen7, to Southern Pacific Co., COASTWISE to Coastwise Transportation Co., and the. WINNEBAGO to Winne- bago Steamship Corp. -- The shipping board is lending all possible encour- agement to American shipping men to purchase goy- ernment-owned tonnage. Several steel steamers have been disposed of in this manner. Five were pur- chased by the National Shipping Corp., four by: George W. Cole, agent for a new company, two by the French-American Line, and one by the Omego Steamship Co. The vessels sold included some. con- structed on the Great Lakes and others built by the government fabricating shipyard at Newark, N. J. Business men of Tampa, Fla., are reputed to be on the point of purchasing some of the government ton- nage and inaugurating a steamship line to Central America. A new steamship line between Philadelphia and South America has been' inaugurated with the Nepmac, a Hog Island vessel, by the International Freighting Corp. She loaded for Buenos Aires and La Plate ports. This new line proposes to have two sailings a month.. The Laxe Fiynus will initiate a new service between Boston and Buenos Aires. The shipping board promises to allocate other vessels shortly to this trade. The Polish Navigation Enterprises has been incorporated under the laws Shipping of Delaware. It has been announced ne that the company will do business civirteS between the United States; Poland Increase and other countries. No~ further definite information has been given of the project. The Carolina Co. has expanded its charter in order to do a general shipping business. It will begin by operating steamers to Liverpool. The Pacat Steamship Corp. is loading steamers at Pensacola, Fla., for Buenos Aires. These vessels will take a triangular voyage, Rotterdam, Antwerp and other North sea ports being the other point of con- tact. It is. ex- pected that six vessels will be used. The Bul) line, which ex- To Sell Surplus HE United States shipping board has arranged for the pects to have its last requis- itioned ship re- turned -- shortly will inaugurate a- service tc Constantinople. Owing to rail competition, the coastwise steam- ers are not be- lieved to be do- ing well. New England _ serv- ices are increas- joe but.. the Clyde line has discontinued its service between sale of its surplus and salvage property, including supplies, ma- terial and equipment. Complete manufacturing plants, entire ship- yards, drydocks, ships, complete or half built, and any article down to scrap metal are amoug the items to be disposed of by public sale. These sales will afford an unusual opportunity to the in- dustries which stand in need of material, equipment and supplies of the kind employed by the Emergency Fleet corporation, but there will be no "unloading" upon either the general or local mar- kets. Ro sell to the market, and not to break the market, is said to be the government policy.