The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-27
John Bulls Shipping.

I have yet to meet single Englishman who is pleased with the shipping combi- nation. I have talked with people of all classes and they all look upon it as a very serious thing for Great Britain. and feel that 1t may mean the loss of her su- premacy on the ocean. They fear that the other great ships of the country may go the same way, and that, through our trade association with France and Ger many. Great Britain will lose her largo carrying trade.
 Today the British have more ships than any other people of the world. They have, all told. about 35,0O0 vessels in the United Kingdom and the colonies, and their tonnage amounts to more than ten millions. They carry about two-thirds of their own goods and large proportion of those of other nations. They carry more than 50 per cent. of our exports and inn po4 ts. They carry A per cent. of the foreign trade of Russia and a like amount of that of Belgium and Holland ; 43 per cent. of the imports and exports of France; % per cent. of the imports and exports of Germany and 23 per cent of those of Italy are carried in English bottoms.
 There are more than quarter of a mil lion men from this country whose bust
 
 thousands at home inter ested in ships and shipping. The loss of the shipping trade would therefore imperil the lifework and positions of these thousands, and 8lso that of the other businesses connected with them.
 The national feeling in regard to Brit ish supremacy on the seas is still very strong. As children they have been taught that the oceanS are to large ex- tent their property. and the words Brit annia rules the waves" have long been in every British mouth. Many of the people look upon the shipping as the foun- dation of the prosperity of the nation, and to lose some of their greatest lines at one fell swoop fills them with the dreariest of forebodings.
 The Matter of Shipbuilding.
 Another thing which is mixed up with the loss of the ships is the thought that the loss of Englcnd's supremacy in ship building may eventually follow. It is part of Uncle Sam policy to build the ships which sail under his flag, and all though in the present instance an excep- tion may be made to the ships already built, they fear that, if we are to mo- nopolize the carrying business of the world. We will waat to mon >polize the profits of making the ships ss well.
 This fear may he and probably is with out foundation. It takes time and money to build great ships and ship yards, and today the British hove the .argest ship yards of the world. They build more ves- sels than any other nation. In 1900 they constructed LII vessels for themselves and f62 for other powers Their facilities in this respect are such that they might in time replace the ships they have sold with the money that has been paid for them, but to do this would take a big trust combination, and at the end they would have to fight the American monop- oly to which they have sold the good will and the business they nave ieen genera. tions in establishing. It is. therefore, safe 10 predict that there will not soon be British combination which can com pete with Pierpont Morgan's American shipping monopoly.
 Frank c. Carpenter.