New-York tribune., 1902-04-26
ENGLAND Is ALARMED

OFFICIALS FEAR STEAMER COMBINA-
TION is PREJUDICIAL TO BRITAIN.
EVERYBODY is sPECULATING ON THE
TRUSTS PLANS BUT ALL ARE AT SEA
j. P. MORGAN GIVES HIS VIEWS
London, April 25.-Further questions IN the
House of Commons to-day on the subject OF the
shipping combination elected information show
ing that the government taking steps to
cope with the situation. which evidently was
officially considered detrimental to Great Britain.
The President of the Board of Trade, Gerald
Balfour said that the Board of Trade had no
official information about the combination but
plenty of unofficial intelligence had reached
the board The effect of such a combination on
British shipping generally would receive the
careful attention of the board. but any formal
inquiry would be premature. No information
regarding the arrangements made by the Amer
lean syndicate to control the Atlantic traffic,
including passenger, freight and other charges,
and the movements of the vessels, largely De-
longing to British companies, had been submit
ted to the board before the arrangements were
made. AS to steps to secure the commerclai
and political interests of the United Kingdom
and to prevent foreign interference Will DiiI-
ish shipping, conflicting with engagements made
with the Admiralty. the matter had occupied
and is occupying the governments attention
The Secretary of the Admiralty Mr.. Arnold
Forster. replying to Henry Norman (LiberaD, in
the House of Commons. said that the attention
of the Admiralty had been called to the forma-
tion of the Atlantic shipping combination, or
trust. with capital of f34000OOO held mostly
in the United States, and with registered offices
in America. The secretary was informed that
twenty-eight British transatlantic steamships
were controlled by this combination. among
them being three subsidized steamers and five
others which were held at the Admiraty's dis
posal without subsidy The White Star Line
gave to the Admiralty notice of its intention
to enter the combination.
STATEMENTS AT VARIANCE.
The statements regarding the intentions OF
the managers of the Atlantic shipping coHoiha-
ton vary with each edition of almost every
newsnaner here and most Of them lack even
the sembIance of authenticity. They serve
however to enhance the general scare, whlch
Is fully voiced by the startling newspaper
posters and headlines
Shining circles express satisfaction with the
announcement of Arnold Foster, Secretary oi
the Admiralty in the House OF Commons yes
terday of the appointment OF commlt'ee u
inquire into the whole subject as afectins thF
Admiralty Much is made of the fact that the
Inman Line steamers City of Paris. now Inc
American Line steamer Philadelphia. and the
City of New-York. now the American Line
steamer New-York. after receiving f26.9D In
subsidies were transferred to the American
flag and II is contended that there Is nothing
to prevent a repetition of such action
THE Westminster Gazette" however. soiaces
itself with the thought that If the law by whlch
only American built ships are entitled 10 ny 'he
American flag be repealed, the British, as ship
builders stand TO gain what they will lose as
ship owners.
Sir James Fortesque- -Flannery. NJ. p, an as
sociate of I.loyds ex-president OF the lnstitu-
ton of Marine Engineers, and inspecting en-
gineer under Sir Edward Reed, who was Chief
Constructor of the British navy from 1868 to
1870 takes a serious view of the situation. He
SAYS the present movement is part of a well de-
fined scheme in American mercantile and navai
circles the ultimate object of which Is TO roster
American shipbuilding. He sees in the new
shipbuiding yards important factors in the
fast maturing project for enlarging the Ameri-
can navy which. he considers. must inevitably
be extended in proportion to the present enor-
nous enlargement of the American merchant
marine.
Most of the weekly reviews discuss the ship
ping combine in moderate tone. with great
degree OF satisfaction THE Spectator says:
We cannot pretend 10 view the situation with
pleasure. and we dislike the current tendency
to restrict competition At the same time it
is Idle to talk vaguely about the tyranny OF
trusts and to propose prohibitive legislation.
II the magnates offer sufficiently tempting
prices no act of Parliament devised
keep the willing buyer and seller apart. In
our opinion all that be done is to allow
natural forces to operate freely in buying and
selling, but vigantly to protect unwilling sellers
from any attempt to coerce them into parting
with their holdings.
The Outlook says that 1t thinks the steam
ship business is most vulnerable to competition.
and the worst industry that could be selected as
the subject Of trust. THE Saturday Review"
takes the matter of the steamship combination
seriously. and makes 1t the text Of long and
bitter anti-American sermon. 1t says that 1t
feels sure that all the British vessels In the COM
bination will ultimately pass to the American
flag and declares that the nation Will be
compelled TO step in and save its very existence.
1t continues:
In the first place, all agreements must be pub
lished with their full conditions and freight
rates. Then secret or postponed rebates must
be made Illegal. and the British merchant made
q free man again. 1t may become necessary to
cancel all differential rates In favor of for
egners, while the wholesale disposal of British
shipping lines ought to require the consent OF
the government
NO DEVELOPMENTS SINCE APRIL.
J. Perpont Morgan. jr. said to representa-
tive of The Associated Press this afternoon:
There has not been single development In
the shipping trust since the announcement of
The Associated Press of April 10. All this ag-
tation in England Is quite unbiased. We cannot
tran nSfe British American