New-York tribune., 1907-08-30
CUT RATES TO LEVANT.
HAMBURG LINE ACTS.
Nay Precipitate EUen Greater Snip
nine Var than One NO7C On.

Fresh fuel was thrown upon the srnoulderlng EN-
bers of the steamship rate war yesterday oS t~iie ~
Hamburg American Line. and a fight even Create
than the one in the service between Ne"
York and the Atlantic ports OF Europe Is iooN'u A
in the service to the Levant
The Hamburg-American Line threw down INC
gauntlet yesterday by announcing TO the I~oi. -
Iantic conference that, beginning on Septeioei o.
its minimum first cabin rate to Mediterranean poi -
would be reduced SIS. First cabin acconllio'''
tions on the steamer Hamburg, which were orig
inay $50 will be offerd to the public for s'o "Ine
the $50 rate on the Moltke will go down aSo 10 go
The reduction of the Hamburg-Amerlcah I'm
will necessarily draw the North German Lioyo LIN,
,,.o The frav and with the announcement of the
Crnard Line to put five steamers into 'fle |heui
terranean service. close fight with ihuch -
sIashing is expected. The Cunard Line CUT "
daeD,v on the business of the German lines IN the
Hungarian immigrant trade in 1904 py oo'diiliilS "
ANIMAL subsidy Of 100000 from the Austro- Hun
rarfan government, and guarantee OF All e'e
traffic from Fiume, which was theh ,he
mart of the German lines Mediterranean business
Austria was then sending over the great ouIN VI
Immigrants to the United States Inc Cuidiu
line in return for the subsidy and Immigrant
trade agreed to make twenty-six CANS at rluiiio
going to and coming from the Mediterranean
The steamers Ultona, Slavonia. Carpatnia ana
pannonia were put into the Hungarian service.
-. ,s rtul maintained The determination OF
the cunard Line to hold the business 1T took from
theaGerman lines in 1904 was obvious yesteroay'
-, tba compauy announced that II would add
to the service to the Levant the new 2o,Ooo-ton
steamers Caronia and Carmania, with minimum
oah;, r.+a of se5 While both these steamers have
great steerage capacity II is thought that the
Cunard Line contemplates doing big caoin DUST
,ess hitting feet of five steamers, consisting OF
the Carmania the Caronia. the Slavonia, the ran
non,a and the Carpathia against the Moitke' the
Hamburg and the Batavia, OF the Hamburg
American Line and the K6nig Albert the hongin
I,fse the Princess Irene, the Neckar and the
Friedrich der Crosse. of the North German LloSo
Line The Cunard Line also announces a minimum
first cabin rate of s75 the Carpathia ana a s'o
ra to on the Slavonia and the Pannonla
Tho Compag gnte Generate Transatlant1que 'Frehch
Tina, which has already announced its deternina-
ton 10 fight the Cunard Line in the regular trans
atlantic service will not take up the cudges IN te
Mediterranean fight. it could not even with lts
S65 minimum to Paris steamers OF the sec
ond class with railroad extension. meet the rate
now offered by the Cunard Line.
Throughout the entire disturbance the local office
of the International Mercantile Marine has main
tained a sphnx-like silence concerning rates, ana
thus far no reductions have been made on any of
the steamers of the trust The trust controls the
White Star Line. with a service of four large pas
senger steamers between New York and Southamp-
ton four between New York and Liverpool, three
between Boston and Liverpool and three between
New York. Boston and the Mediterranean; the Red
Star Line with four steamers between New York
and Antwerp the American Line. with four steam
ers between New York and Southampton. and the
Atlantic Transport Line with four steamers be
tween New York and London.
With this big fleet at its command. II is thought
that announcement will come from the
home office concerning rates that will cause all
lines OF the North Atlantic conference make
some radical changes in the rates now in force.