GERMAN SHIPS IN AMERICA.

Taihape Daily Times, 20 September 1919, Page 5

GERMAN SHIPS IN AMERICA.

STROl\'(_} I;3RITISH COMMENT.

The qll('SUvOIl of the final disposition of the German ships in American ports coiitixxries to excite a good deal of controversy on both sides of the “pond,” but the New York Marine Journal has put forward the most ‘in? genious argument yet advanced to prove America/s right to the ships (5333 Sil'€ll)_ This paper sayS:——_“But for the prompt and vigorous ‘ use made of the German tonnage as soon as the United. States degared hostilities on Germany, it is wholly , probable that the Allied people would not now be celebrating a victory. Of course, British merchant. Shipping suffered heavily because of the depredations of Teuton _sub:narines, but for this dastardly work the terms of the Peace Treaty compel the German Government to make reparation ton for ton. E-ventuallily, there/fpre, British , merchants will be fully recompensed.” We might point out (comments the "V London Siren) that were it not for th'e action of the British Navy in chasing these ships into American ports, American would never rave been able to put them to “prompt and vigorous use.” As for the British merchants being fully recompensed for the-losses due to the submarine campaign, oul' contemporary has evidently ‘ , not.-read the peace terms, or it would know that the ton—for-ton policy falls short of compensating the damage done . by several million tons, which is the reason why many people on this side advance a claim to a share of the ex- : German ships in America. I Our contemporary evidently Wrote the above with tongue in cheek, for further down the same leader is. the naked, unabashed argument that America has got to have ‘these ships as a nucleus of ' a new American Tr-ans—Atlantic fleet, ‘_ to compete with the vast liner fleet I Great Britain still retains, in spite of , her war losses. And there is the secret :'‘-?l or the whole busines.s,.4a.3l.d .there ‘l’ nothing more to be said about it. "1 ~ - -spirit which animatcg jhe opposition to the sale of British tonnage, owned-'s,_'b,,jr ;”vtl_l‘e xclnternational. ‘ Mercantile ’Mai'inci-_'Gompan:yL‘ Practic}ally the n"hol,_e of,_:'t'h'e tonnafge owned E by the I.l\fE'.l\l.- is" of the -North‘ Atlantic’ liner class. :Withouts the British‘to-n----image the 1.M.1\1. fleet would be reducled» to the following ‘. eleven vessels, Ixlinrresota. Manchu:-ia, and Mongolia. ‘Red Star Line: Gothland and Samland. American Line: Finland, . Kroonland, New York. Philadelphia, St. Louis, and I St. Paul. 2