What Merchant Navy Should Germans Have?

Chronicle (Levin), 7 September 1949, Page 5

What Merchant Navy Should Germans Have?

(N.Z.P.A.-

—Rpuier.

Cov yriaht)

Received Tnesdav, 7 p.m. LOXDOX, Sept. f>. British, American and French sliipping experts who have been diseussing for somo time past tbe. terms on which Germany should be permitted to reconstruct lier mercantile marino, have reached a complete deadlock and are likely to refer the question back to their Governments. The fundamental difference is between tlie Amerieans on tlie one hand and the British and French on the other. The Amerieans are anxions 1o j see Germany rebuild her merchant fleet as quiekly as possible eubject to certain specifted safeguards, but the British and French are against this ou the grounds that the Germans could uso new merchant ships not onlv to undercut the trade of other shipping coimtries but also possiblv to build up tlie nucleus of a new navy. There is understood also to be some divergenee of opinion between American Government authorities and American shipping interests who to some extent share the misgivings of the British and Freneli. The Amerieans contend that the Germans should be permitted forthwith to lav the keels of about 50 ships of up 1o 7200 tons gross register but the British and French miggest that Germany should not bc allowcd to build any ocoan going ships uptil she has reconstructed her coastal fleets. If the Germans werp able to carry Marshall aid goods in their own shii s, they could save thenisolves considerable amounts of dollars. Tlie American Gnvernment is in favour of this but American shipping interests are against it. The Amerieans also favour giving permission to tlie Germans to ins-'ml nnti-aircraft cquijnnent in certain classos of ships but this again is opnosed bv tlie British and French. The United fMates, Britain and France have alreaclv agreed on broad, general lines, that Germany should not in future be permitted to build ships of more than 7200 tons gross register with mnximum sneeds of 12 knots. Xt was, however, laid down that certain exceptions should be permitted provided that the security safeguards were satisfactory. Tt is largely over the question of the nnmber and nature of these exceptions that the present difTerences have developed.