German Lines, Hit by Boycott, Oust Board Chairman, Others

The Jewish boycott of German shipping lines is held partially responsible for the crisis which recently brought about the resignation of Herr Obousier, chairman of the board of directors of the Hamburg-American and North German Lloyd lines, and several other German high shipping officials. Contributing to Nazi anxiety over shipping is Great Britain’s bid for sea supremacy with the new and speedy liner Queen Mary, now under construction.

The Daily Herald, commenting on the situation, stated that German shipping has been hard-hit by the Jewish boycott for nearly two years now. Jewish travelers, the paper points out, who figured largely in every trans-Atlantic liner’s passenger list now avoid German vessels.

Passengers and cargoes on Nazi boats have slumped off to an alarming degree. The Bremen and the Europa continue to race across the Atlantic, the paper continues, but fewer passengers travel on them.

One shipping expert is quoted as saying: “All shipping companies are having a ‘thin line’ but the German lines are having the thinnest.”

The two lines together have a capital of about $40,000,000. Since the economic depression, and more particularly since inauguration of the Jewish boycott, many millions of tons of German shipping have lain idle. On September 1 of this year the German government announced that German tonnage in operation amounted to 3,124,000, an increase of 377,000 tons since the previous January.

This improvement, however, was not considered enough, and many of the ships were being run at a heavy loss. In the Hamburg-America line, for instance, the only route known to be paying is the South American line, which carries nuts and coffee to Germany.

Officials of the lines have tried to take steps to increase business but government interference has prevented them from doing much. The latest step indicates that the lines will soon be directly under Nazi management.