President Lines said that the Marl-coen oime Amoled time Commission's announcement of the transfers was merely routine confirmation of action taken Jast week. He said the President Lines would still retain eight round-the-world it several freighters which to operate on the will also get the Robin the Mormac Dove, the the Mormac Gull, the "the Mormac Lark and c Tern of the Monre-Mc-'The Hawaiian Pack-
Informed Administration circles declared yesterday that United States crews were ready to man immobilized foreign ships in US. harbours as soon as they have been requisitioned under the bill which is now awaiting President Roosevelt's signature.
Government shipping officials were said to be eager to see some of ithe ships operating immediately because transfers of merchantmen to the British, together with requisitioning of others by the U.S. Army and Navy. have seriously depleted the merchant marine.
The Maritime Commission was expected to conclude agreements with several steamship lines within the next few days to acquire freighters end {Nevyl for transport end "ships needed by the
supply duty. The Navy was expected tReuter.
(Continued on page 2, col. 1 with reports of a small German landing in Syria. is regarded as designed to reassure Frenchmen. London cón-siders it very likely that even the "fighting single-handed" was ired Lecause the Germans know it will be better to try to get the French Army to fight for France in Syria than to attempt to send sufficient German forces within a short time.
It is recalled that the Italians also were allowed to fight sinlehunded in Libya—for a while, Whatever Vichy says, London! believes it is clear that the defence of Tunisia and Syria is in the German interest and Vichy can only fight with German arms or arms made in French factories under German control and on German supplies of petrol.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.