The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-10 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN COAL TRADE.

SHIELDS, Dec. 7.--The coal freights to London still
keep about half-a-guinea a ton on Newcastle-quay, and
in the neighbouring coal ports. There does not seem to
be any reason to think that they will fall much lower
during the winter quarter, inasmuch as we have now
nearly all the available colliers in the trade, the Baltic
and American fleet being at home, and the Hamburg and
Dutch trades about closed for the season. We have a
large number of foreigners in our harbours at present,
and any one taking a run by steamer from Newcastle to
Shields would be astonished to witness the quantity
of foreign tonnage under the coal spouts and at the
ballast wharves. Freights are equally high to the Conti-
nent, and, in fact, it is admitted by the most grumbling
Protectionist, that the British shipping interest is in a
flourishing, sound, substantial, and healthy condition ;
and, as far as can be seen, the ensuing commercial year
promises to be equally profitable to the shipowner with
the one that is closing. The shipowners this year have
got over their losses from shipwrecks during past
seasons, and the most of them have a handsome
balance to their amount besides. A person casting
his eyes over the shipping events of the past three or
four years, and comparing the predictions of the utter
ruin of owners of collier Vessels that were made four
or five years ago, arising out of the threatened competi-
tion of the railways and steam colliers in supplying the
London market with coals, with the value of this
trade at the present time, will judge very meanly of the
prophetic forecast of the alarmists of that period ; col-
lier vessels are now worth one-third, and in some in-
stances one-half, more than a similar class of property
in 1850. The Justinian, an old collier, well known in
the Tyne for many years, has been put up to auction.
Competent seafaring men state, that three years ago
she would not have fetched more than 1,000/. After a
smart competition, she has been knocked down for
1,800/. Another shipowner stated to the writer to•
diy, that a year ago last June he bad a collier vessel
offered to him at a price ; and, that if he had her this
day he could realise just double the price she was
then offered for to him. The following is probably the
most rational mode of accounting for the scarcity
of collier vessels :—Five or six years ago, the princi-
ples of free commerce, despite the apparent open
hostility of the shipowners, were being silently
acknowledged by them. Ft ee trade in corn was open-
ing out sources of regular employment to British
vessels in trades which previously had only been
occasional and irregular. Coincident with this gra-
dual opening out of the markets of the world for the
employment of the capital of the British owner,
railways and steam colliers appeared, with the object
of competing with him in the coasting trade, more
especially in carrying coals to the London market.
Along with those circumstances, shaking the confidence
of the owner in the London coal trade, profitable em-
ployment was also offering to owners of large vessels
to convey steam-coal on distant voyages. From one
shipping place on the Tyne alone about a million tons
of steam-coal is shipped abroad annually. During
the past two or three years the Australian trade
has also held out inducements to owners to trade
from home. Hence, beginning with the alarm about
steam colliers and railways, and ending with the large
increase of the Australian trade, and arising out of
the development of events in the history of our
commerce, every influence has been in operation to in-
duce the British shipowner to embark his capital in a
larger and more valuable class of shipping property.
It might be thought that though owners had taken
their capital out of collier vessels and embarked it in
vessels of a larger tonnage, when those vessels lost their
classification at Lloyd's, they would fall into the coal
trade; but this is not the case. Every vessel is not
adapted for collier purposes, and few of -the vessels
built during the last few years possess properties which
go to form " a useful collier." Owners, therefore,
after their vessels have come off the "letter have been
induced to " rip them up," and re-classify them, rather
than put them into a trade for which they were not
adapted. This circumstance, with the severe loss of
collier vessels last year and the year before, has greatly
diminished the means of conveying coals to London.
Other circumstances have occurred this " back end,"
however, to account for the extraordinary excessive
freights that are paid in.the coal trade. The high rates
given in the Baltic trade induced the owners to send
their vessels on the "fall" voyage, when, in ordinary
times, they would have fallen into the coal trade.
Another inducement to owners who had their vessels
out of the coal trade to keep them out of it so long as
profitable employment could he found elsewhere, has
been the insubordinate conduct of the sailors at the coal
ports, and the consequent difficulty in getting vessels to
sea.

About seven or eight steam colliers run between the
Tyne and London. They are not solely engaged in the
conveyance of household coal; they carry a good deal
of steam and gas coal. With the present rate of freights
they must be very profitable property. A large capitai
is embarked in them, and they will launch one vessel
every six weeks at Messrs. Palmer's works, at Jarrow,
to add to the fleet. So far the present winter has been
a very fortunate one for the mutual clubs in which our
collier vessels are insured. Very few vessels have been
lost on the coast, and the only impediment to the navi-
gation of vessels in the North Sea has been the recent
very foggy weather, which has occasioned several colli-
sions.

There seems a strong disposition in our district to
have a complete " overhaul" of the system of brokerage,
fitting, Newcastle coal-tax, passing tolls, loc., at our
end, and the factorage system and corporation charges
upon coals in London ; in fact, all the expensive ma-
chinery adding cost to the Londoners' ton of coal be-
yond the expense of working it, and its delivery by ves-
sel at the wharf. It is too large a subject to treat of in
a brief and discursive paragraph, but it is a question
of great interest to the consumer, and wherein by
rational discussion a large amount of saving can be
effected to him.

RAILWAY TRAFFIO RETURNS.

TRAFFIC RETURNS FOR THE PAST WEEK.