The San Francisco call., 1904-06-05
GER N AN GROWTH
IN SEA TRADE
How Her Merchant Marine
Has Increased Within the
Last Hundred Years
MANY CAUSES ASSIGNED
Interesting Report From
American Consul Showing
How Business Is Helped

by the Department of Commerce and
Labor from United States Consul
Brainard H. Warner Jr. at Letpsig,
Germany, dealing with the German
merchant marine. The report gives
history of the methods in operation In
that country in assisting the merchant
marine of the empire to maintain a
high standard of development 1t deals
with every phase of the system, both
on inland waters and in intercontinen-
tai traffic, gives a careful review Of the
shipbuilding operations Of the country
and shows the financial conditions Of
all the companies operating from Ger
man seaports. Consul Warner begins
by saying:
Germany, of all world powers. with
the exception Of Russia and Austria, is
the one with the poorest natural
means Of communicating by sea with
the outside world. However, in spite
of this fact she holds to-day an envia-
BILE position in the worlds carrying
trade. She is advancing in the science
of traffic upon the high seas, under
difficulties of no small proportions,
faster and more effectively than any
other power. The Germans consider
that the paramount factor in develop
ing a country's foreign trade is, per-
haps, the merchant marine, and that it
is just as necessary to foster foreign
trade as to encourage home industries.
NapoIeonic Epoch Disastrous.
mot only was the Napoleonic epoch
disastrous to European industries, but
commercial interests were seriously
crippled thereby. The continental sys-
tenn November 21, 1S06), as well as the
compulsory military service system, in
troduced by the French Emperor, was
extremely detrimental to the shipping
trade. With the downfall of Napoleon
! QS15), the first impetus was given to
the numerous German states toward
! maritime navigation. The growth
thereof was at first slow. This English
navigation act, which was finally re-
! pealed in 1919, and the unfavorable
maritime laws of the Netherlands and
! Spain occasioned this slow develop
ment. Again. all ships. many of which
were German, had to pay Denmark
sound dues for the use of the Baltic
Sea up to the year 1857, when they were
abolished. only, however, after Den
mark had been handsomely compen-
stated for the loss Of her monopoly.
( Hamburg was additionally handicap
! ped until 1861 by the levying of a toll
/ by the kingdom of Hanover upon all
J boats on the Elbe; as was Bremen, in
the same manner. until 1921, the Grand
Duchy of Oldenburg collecting toll from
all craft plying upon the Weser."
4 Regarding the growth of the indus
( try under the German methods of pro-
noting its usefulness, he says:
:
Growth of Merchant Marine.
"On the other hand, however, the de-
velopment Of the United States, the
1 emancipation of the Spanish colonies,
! the recognition of property rights on
the high seas by the taking of extreme
measures to prevent piracy, and the
Paris declaration of 1856, forbidding
privateering. were important factors in
/ fostering the growth of the merchant
marine of the German states. The
great progress which has been made in
the means in communication has also
furthered 1t. there being more or less
Of a reciprocal action between the
growing industries and the means of
transportation. The increase in the
former, creating a demand for tech
nical improvements in the latter, has
necessarily led to the establishment of
new maritime enterprises. In addition
to the above there are two other fac
tors which have had far-reaching eff
feet upon Germany's merchant marine,
namely the economical and political
considerations into which the German
states formed themselves. The forma-
tion of the 'Zollverein' German GUS
toms union) in 1928, of which all the
German states have finally become
members, making it possible for COM
mercial treaties to be made with for
eign powers-a thing which was for
merly impossible-is that referred to as
economical confederation. The political
consolidation consisted in the German
states being formed into an empire,
which enabled the imperial government
to further the common interests of the
states by encouraging foreign trade,
by granting export premiums and
granting direct or indirect subventions,
to establish ocean steamship lines"
Shipping Politics.
"Only since the last foundation of the
German empire in 1871 has it been pos
sible to even think of shipping politics.
or an imperial maritime policy. Dur
ing the first fifteen years of this new
empire the protection afforded to Ger
man shipping interests was more of
the nature of passive than a positive
one In 1881, ten years after the Ger
man confederacy had been founded,
Prince Bismarck, then Chancellor of
the empire, presented a memorandum
to the Reichstag that provision be made
for the payment of an annual sum
to steamship companies. Such a bill,
having first been introduced in the year
1884, was finally passed on the 9Th of
April, 1885. 1t provided that the i'm
perial chancellor be authorized to make
an agreement with steamship compa-
mics to establish, for period of fifteen
years, a steamship service between Ger
many, China, Japan and Australia.
Shortly afterward the imperial chan
Lcellor (Bismarck) made a contract
with the North German Lloyd and the
IIa,,o burg A r1prican line for q fort