New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-14
AN UNDESIRAB BILE TRAFFIC.
NO MONEY IN THE STEERAGE BUSINESS.
WHY STEAMSHIP LINES ABANDONED IT-ETFEC'
OF RAISING THE CABIN RATE!


OF RAISING THE CABIN RATES
No detail, were received from London by the
steamship agents here Yesterday regarding the North
Atlantic Continental steamship Associations action Ak
me meeting held In London on Monday. At tAe
meeting 1t was decided that alter January tie com
panies OF the association should carry only Ert ana
second cabin passengers. should reduce tho number
OF Sallngs In 1893 and should advance the rates Tor
CABIN passage to make up the loss incurred by abandon
Ing the steerage traric The agents h"ic. thereo'e
Yesterday merely waited for developments. The lines
bound by the action OF the association are
the Nethcrlands-Amcrican, Hamburg American Packet
Red star and North German Lloyd. The
French line will also abide by the decisions Of the
association The most important thing which was
done here yesterday the issuing OF orders 10 all
agents In this country not sell any more prepaid
secnGe tickets, that Is. tickets for westward passage
which people In this country buy send TO relatives
and friends In Europe. In the case OF most Of
the lines half the stcerage traffic Is these prepaid
tickets. In the case Of the North German Lloyd com
pany the percentage is even larger The Red star
Line has decided TO stop all Storage business at
once.
AS TO how much the cabin rates would DO In
creased none OF the steamship agents here could say.
That the Increase would be great enough materially
70 Interfere with the coming Of visitors TO the World S
Fair. none OF them thought. They also all discaim
any Intention on the part OF the companies To re-
tallGte for the difficulties placed In the way Of
bringing Immigrants TO this country. and said that the
decision o. the association brought about by
purely business reasons II imm grafton is stopped
wholly or In part the companies lose large income.
This they must make up In other way. They
might make good OF It by carrying freight
II they could secure the tonnage. But the obvious
source OF higher revenue was the increase OF cabin
rates James Wright. OF the Imam Line; K. j.
Cors, OF the neutrality-suspicious. Packet Company,
and representatives OF the Cunard and White Star
lines all felt sure that snch increase would not
mean marked falling of in the number OF foreigners
who would come TO visit the Worlds Fair. They
said that people who could afford to go from Europe
TO Chicago for pleasure could afford TO pay slight
increase in steamship rates.
Regarding the cessation Of steenge traffic on SHIPS
OF the Red Star line. James Wright said last night
1--WE simply had to do It. for the position was In
tolerabe. We had been bringing comparatively few
immigrants here lately, and they were All brought
subject to the orders OF the Treasury department.
We couldn't afford to bring ships here without
knowing where stood and couldn't afford to
have our ships held
The English lines the White Star, Cunard and
Sorq AaDt Sn co S stesmsp Ssocnon will
probably follow the example OF the other lines.
Nr COrts Of the White star Line. said yesterday
that The tie ooo as%a16 mat ns Il Wa no ns to
legisate against all immigration. lie thought that
there were many desirable immigrants In whose case
his line brought only Irish. English and scandl.
navlan steeraee PASSENGER and that ne Ghallensed
any one 70 boar. White star snip hr ana hST ' Wr
Cortis said Il would propose that tho steamship
companies be required by law 10 give 10 each steer
would he enforced 10 Increase tho s;"eraec rates.
think steeragc rate OF $50 would be the proper
grafton and prevent the bringing here OF undesirable
people,