"Baa, Baa . . ."

Events in U. S. shipping circles last week recalled the situation in the old nursery rhyme that begins "Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool?" It will be recalled that the black sheep had three bags full, one for the master, one for the dame, but none for the little boy that lived down the lane. In last week's modernization of Mother Goose, the U. S. Post Office and the U. S. Shipping Board were accused of being the black sheep. The wool-bags were mailbags, and the Cunard Line was the little boy who got nothing.

For last week there came from the Post Office Department an order withdrawing from the Berengaria, the Ansonia and the Andania, three Cunard Line vessels, all trans-Atlantic mail not specifically addressed to these three vessels. Immediately came protests. The Berengaria crosses the Atlantic in six days. Transfer of its mail to other, slower ships meant that such mail would take from three to six days longer in transit. The Post Office speedily reversed itself, rescinded the order, explained that it had been issued because it had been supposed that the Berengaria would be late in sailing. The rescinding order also included the Ansonia, the Andania.

Meanwhile the Post Office order was regarded in shipping circles as a thrust at the Cunard Line, which last fortnight (TIME. Jan. 7) began cutting into U. S. Lines, Havana trade by putting the 20,000-ton Caronia on the New York-to-Cuba route. Angry, the U. S. Shipping Board loaned its crack trans-Atlantic steamer, speed, the President Roosevelt, to the (U. S.) Ward Line, thus promised the Caronia the best competition that U. S. boats could give it. This competition got under way last week when the Caronia and the President Roosevelt left New York. Cuba-bound, on the same day. The Caronia is more costly than the President Roosevelt, is also not so fast. But the Caronia has a bar. First trip results between speed v. alcohol showed 240 passengers on the wet Caronia, 204 on the dry Roosevelt.

Post Office officials strenuously denied any connection between the shipping '"war" and the mail consignment. Said Second Assistant Postmaster General Glover: "My only interest is in seeing that the mail goes to Europe as fast as possible." It should be remembered that the government of the U. S. has many departments, many activities, that Postmaster General New, for instance, would have no official reason to be grieved if every U. S. citizen went to Cuba on a British ship. Meanwhile, however, reports that the mail orders were reprisals against Cunarders persisted, named T. V. O'Connor, chairman of the U. S. Shipping Board, as the probable source of the "discrimination." Mr. O'Connor is, of course, vitally concerned with the Cunard competition in the Havana tourist trade. Also, he has invited U. S. shipowners to attend a marine conference in Washington (opening Jan. 23), to discuss methods of meeting foreign competition. But between Shipping Board and Post Office Department no connection can legitimately be established.