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Uxperts in [his Country and Abroad ee ee PELIN has been sold by the British government to the Orient Steam Navigation Co. The Anchor line has purchased the liners Kicoma and Yprranca. Germany, however, does not seem disheartened over the sales of her former liners. Last month marked resumption of trade between Hamburg and New York with a German-built vessel under the German flag. This was the freighter SopHie RIcKMERS, for which the Kerr line acted as agent on this side. The vessel was launched after the armistice from a German yard. The Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. will establish next spring a transatlantic passenger and freight ser- vice between New York and Southampton, Cherbourg and Hamburg. The steamers Orpuna, Orpitra and Oropesa will be used. Steamship lines are interested especially in the passenger services out of Germany and from Mediterranean ports by reason of the an- ticipated demand on the part of steerage passengers to get out of Europe. It has been claimed some 15,000,- 000 European emigrants are planning to book passage. In view of this prospective swamp of immigration, a movement is now on foot to have congress tempor- arily exclude all immigrants pending a permanent re- vision of the laws of admission. Such a step would, of course, be disastrous to the plans of steamship men. Few reports of financial embar- Plans of 128SMents among steamship companies : have been current during the past American month on this side of the Atlantic. Lines The petition in bankruptcy filed against the International Marititne Corp. last month is not expected to embarrass that company. The suit, it was explained, was an expression of pique on the part of disgruntled former employes. A receiver has been appointed for the Standard Steamship Co., Inc. The controversy between the Kerr and the Harri- man interests has continued to smoke. Kermit Roose- velt, secretary of the former line, has incorporated in Delaware the Roosevelt Steamship Co., but its plans are unknown. Inas- much as Roose- velt has an- nounced his in- Favor Harding Stand ONGRESSMEN have shown great interest in the speech of President-elect Harding at Norfolk, Va., in which he de- clared in favor of subsidies, if isGion oF Gs necessary, for upbuilding the na- maining Sih tion's merchant marine. the Mere an Commenting upon the speech, despite the for. ee is quoted as having Mahon "ot this "President-elect Harding is keen- new company, it ly attuned to our maritime needs i suggested the and in hearty sympathy with an Roosevelt line is American merchant marine. He intended to cov- will carry out the solemn direc- er the opera- tion of the law with reference to tions of the abrogation of treaties undoubted- Kerr _ interests. ly. Also, he will align himself | Since the Kerrs with policies and measures to pro- must relinguish mote and give permanency to the their fleet to the nation's commercial fleet." Harriman inter- ests, under pur- BOATS ARE IDLE Charters on West Coast Are Weak > and Freights Are Scarce--Rate War Is Averted for the Present chase agreement, the former undoubtedly are seeking to get the shipping board to allocate them government vessels for operation. The shipping board will back the creation of a cold storage steamer line between Baltimore and Barcelona, Genoa and Alexandria, it is said. Another such line will be operated between Barcelona, Salonica and Con- stantinople. James W. Elwell & Co. will operate ship- ping board vessels in a new Holland-Italian service. The ships will touch first at Rotterdam and then go to Mediterranean ports. This is a route on which Ger- man ships formerly operated. The shipping board has assigned the new passenger vessel, CREOLE STATE to the Pacific Mail line for op- eration transpacific. A sister ship also will be assigned to this service, the GOLDEN StaTE. The Pacific line has opened a new service with the Quittora, which has sailed from New York to Columbian and Ecuadorian ports via the Panama canal. The Panama Steamship Co. thas established a service between Cristobal and Guayaquil, Ecuador. The GENERAL GoETHALS was the first ship used. One other important development in the tropical trade was the announcement of the intent -- of the Ward line to construct new terminals at Havana. To two newcomers has been left the new develop- ments of the month in the transatlantic trade. The United American line inaugurates this month with the Mount Cray, ex-PrINce E1TEL FRIEDRICH, a service between New York and Hamburg. The steamer carries third class passengers only. This company will place the Mount Crinton and the Mount Carrov in the same service next spring. The line is also fitting up the De Kats with a kosher abattoir and galley especially for the third-class Jewish traffic in the transatlantic. Additional shipping board tonnage is idle at Pacific ports, testifying to More Ships the unsatisfactory condition of ocean Idl commerce in Pacific routes. The e7 charter market is dull and freights Pacific are weak. Private operators, as a rule, are able to keep their vessels moving, but government carriers are finding increasing difficulty in obtaining business. Be- cause of the unsatisfactory condition of business on the Oriental routes, several large vessels recently have been withdrawn. The regular liners are offering more than sufficient space for all the cargo moving and -tramps are coming infrequently because there is no inducement for them. Danger of an immediate rate war, which threatened the Pacific lines, has evidently been passed for the present. The Pacific westbound conference apparently has brought conflicting interests together and, it is understood, all lines have agreed to abide by con-