HAMBURG AMERICAN LINE, THE. In 1918 the Ger man mercantile marine was reduced to about 2,000,000 gross tons lying in home ports and about 800,000 gross tons laid up in neutral ports, whereas it had aggregated about 5, 200,00o gross tons be fore the war. At the close of 1923 the Hapag fleet, exclusive of auxiliary vessels, consisted of 75 ocean-going ships aggregating 366,104 gross tons, or just under one-third of its pre-war tonnage. In the early part of 1926, when the Hapag took over the Harri man shipping interests, three large vessels totalling 46,00o gross tons passed over to it. The merger of the Austral-Kosmos Lines with Hapag (1926) and by the simultaneous purchase of the shares of the Hugo Stinnes Lines, resulted in additions of 37 Austral-Kosmos vessels totalling 210,000 gross tons and 23 Hugo Stinnes vessels totalling 140,00o gross tons. The first engage ments entered into with foreign concerns were the agreements with the American Kerr Steamship Line in respect of the North Atlan tic business and with the British firms of Messrs. Alfred Holt and Co. and Messrs. Ellerman, Bucknall and Co. in respect of the Far Eastern business. In 1920 the Kerr agreement was replaced by one concluded with the Harriman group. The Hapag services to the Far East and the Hugo Stinnes services to the Straits and the Far East were both enlarged. In March 193o the Hamburg American Line and the North German Lloyd entered into an agreement placing their combined business on a cooperative basis. In September 1933 a new arrangement provided for the joint operation of the North Atlantic services of both lines. In under another arrangement the New York services of both lines were separated from the mother companies and placed under the management of two independent organizations, the object being to provide greater initiative on the part of each company while still preserving the cooperative spirit of the 193o accord. See