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Show SHIPPING BOARD IMi HE GHEN Eight Great Vessels to Be Turned Over When the' Surveys Are Completed.; Decision Surprises Britain, j a? the Cunard Line Had ' Expected the Iniperalor. ' VTASHIXCtTOX. Sept. 27. The eirbr ! former German liners allocated to the j United States alter the armistice, in- ! eluding the former Hamburg-American j steamer Imperator, the second largest , siip afloat, are to be turned over to -he shipping; board by the vrar depart- j ment as ioon as recessary surveys can be made. j After their allocation to the United , States, the hips "Kere used as trans- i ports ai:d Great Britain has contended j that their allocation fras only tern- , porarv and that when the troop move-j meet had been completed they were to , revert to the allied shipping pool for permanent allocation. J. H. Kosseter, ; director of operations for the shipping ! board, said todav. however, that the j board held that the critical assignment j of the shirs as permanent. ; I All at American Ports. j Besides the Imperator. the ships are j the Kaiterin Aucuste Victoria. Cape ! Finisterre. Graf aUiersee. pra: Fried- j rich Vi:he!m. Pretoria. Moii:e and Zep- ; pelhi. AU are hu2fe passenger liners. ' Mbi'-h had been laid tip in German ports! ourina the var. After t!ie armistice, tbev ivcro deliered to American naval j officeis in Ft-gland. All of the vessels i are nor, in rort in this country, some ' of them at New York. Ail "f the ship.-- v, ill be delivered to j the shipping board as soon as surveys and necessary alterations can be mace. It was said that with the oerman Sicera . sei;.ed in American ports when this i cinmi-y entered the year they would be j used in Ostablishirir ne-.'- American f-ciglit. mail and passC-iger lines, pre- ' sumaoly to Gr-at K-itain and Furope a; well as to South America. j The British ministry of shipping here . had expected that the lmporat.vr would re turned over to its agents at S1 a. m. ; today at Hobokea and the Cssel al- ; ready had been promised to the (. r.uard line for sevice betw een New- " ork an-i . Kngland. l'e''isio". that the si. if shou'd : be delivered to tho shipping boar-i was : recite.', late ia-I isiaht "t a conference between bo:.r,i offiv-iais and representa- tivts of the war department. ! British Disappointed. The British minister was greatly surprised sur-prised when infermed that the vessel w-ould not be deiiered. j J. H. Rossoter. .iir-'tor of o; (rations for the shippir.g b'-ard. and other board officials tale the position that the . ships became the property of the United i States trove rr.ment when they were de- j '.ivered bv t'ne tlerman to American) naval officers a" London for use as 1 transports. The alKxation had been made by the lnter-a!l:ei shipping cnm-r.ission at' Paris, and Great Britain has contended I that it was only tempora.-v and that when the need i'er the s"hips in the homeward movement of Amfrlcan troops 1 ceased to exist. tlvv would revert to the int : r-alM? i tol for pern-.tir.r.t dis- t rosition amtii; tho associate! sn 1 al- i .lied powers as n ;ght be agreed up'.-n by j the commission. : At the war de,-nr"mer.t it was stated that t'ne v olition 'of t!io d-'pr.rtment was that the ships were turr.cd over t.a it ' bv the shpvirg beard for the specific purpose of transp'ir-u'.g trif ai.d war supplies snd tl.ar this activity having been r-"c:ira!lv concluded, the obvious procedure was in -ct-'.m th vss'-ls to t'ne bAor.i. regardless of any interna- Tional agrenten. |