New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-01-21
THE SHIPPING BATTLE.
liverpool Victim of Geography
and German Energy.
London, January a


London. January q
German maritime energy has become doni.
nant factor in the commercial rivalries Of Eng.
Iish ports. So long as freight was mora I'M
pOrtant than the passenger service Liverpool
had an incalculabls advantage over any Channel
western port Behind It was the popuIous
working section Of England. which needed i'm
mense supplies of imported breadstuffs and bro.
duced an equally enormous surplus OF manu-
featured goods for export Bristol had lost it's
prestige after the American Revolution ana tia
suppression OF the slave trade. but it might havs
contested the supremacy OF Liverpool more
stubbOrnly IL the construction Of the Great
Western, the pioneer liner. had been followed BIZ
a more enlightened policy Of increasing thu
docking accommodation. AS &C was. the dsysl-
Opment OF the Industrial resources Of Lancashire
West Yorkshire and the Midlands fastened tia
downfall Of the Elizabethan port: and. while tbs
floating harbor has been repeatedly recon-
structed and enlarged and immense docks caDa-
BILE Of berthing lsylathans like the Lusitania ar,
now involving the expenditure OF not less than
$25.OOOO0O OF the ratepayers' money. Il Is doubt
full II Bristol can ever succeed In Fegaining TIA
commercial ascendaney through this bslatea
energy In establishing costly municipal docks
at AvonmOuth- Plymouth. SOUTHAMPTON ard
Dover could not compete with Liverpool so lonr
as cargo carriage was more profitable than pas-
senger service: and. although the Nauehessar
corporation rescued the mscalculated shin canal
from bankruptcy by advancing S25OOOOOO from
the town treasury. the supremacy OF the Mersey
as the natural gateway Of Northern ENGLAND
was not challenged. The German lines alon.
are responsible for the diversion OF eomnasrcs
to Channel ports.
The development OF the transatlantic mas.
senger service has enabled steamship lines 10
dispense with cargo, or, rather. to substitute
emisrants for 1t, at least In westward voyages
A reversion to BrunePs Great Eastern type be-
came possible when the requirements for rauId
and luxurious travel and the increasing exodus
OF European enigrants reduced the relative
importance OF miscellaneous freight Marine
engineers and steamship directors were able to
transpOss the problems of costly construction
and high speed operation into commercial terms
The German lines. starting with the assump-
ton that the emigTant was the principal Euro
pean export to America, converted Bremen and
Hamburg into the bases OF the trade; and then
perceiving the necessity for controlling the first
class passenger traffic. established ports Of call
in England and France on outward and return
Ing voyages. The German Emperor considered
1t possible to substitute one intermediates port
for two. and gave a flip to the commercial
fortunes OF Dover by studying the drawings OF
the harbor improvements and the tables OF Dis
tances and encouraging the commissioners To
hope for the patronage OF the "Reminiscences
lean and North German Lloyd lines Ths en-
cheering plans. which are sriu IN progress
have involved the construction OF a commercial
harbor and the creation OF a spacious ANCHORAGE
for the largest battleships. The outer girdIs OF
oreakwateIs has not yet been bucklee together
and the entire work VIII not cost less than
S1.OOO.OO0 There have been no contracts with
the German lines but one OF them has tasted
the practicability OF making Dover a mort ~
call on eastward and westward voyages. II the
Channel tunnel were constructed so that mas
sengeis and emigTants could be carried from the
continent directly TO the steamship In an Eng
hsn dock. Dover would probably be- preferred
oy The German lines. and southampton. Cher
oourg and Plymouth would be abandoned "a
calling ports Its selection would involve a ma
terial shortening OF both the outward and The
Inward voyages
southampton az present holds the feid "a ths
cnier rival OF Liverpool IN tha transatlanr1o
service II was already the port for the East
indian. West African. Cape, West Indian and
south American services when the Ar,artca1
Line made II an English base Of operations m
preference 70 Liverpool The German lines have
favored 1t as calling port within = few hours
OF CherboUrg. and have secured a large shara
senger traffic. substituting Plymouth for n IN
eastward voyages for the sake OF more rapid
oehVery OF nails So formidable has German
competition become that the White star Line
mas decided TO transfer it's rnidweek service to
Southampton. SO that It's four fastest mail shtus
may be on even terms with their German and
American rivals In tapping the passenger trade
from the Continent There viii be equality SO
Tar as hrst class Continental trafio f. con-
eerned, but the westward voyage win be length
ened through the necessity for calling for the
malls at Queenstown after the sailing from
southampton and Cherbourg. The German lines,
moreover VIII retain an important advantage IN
thelr Bremen and Hamburg bases for enigra-
uon- The transfer is. however. a decisive gain
Tor southampton. where the London & South
western Railway is securing ample rewards for
It's enterprise In investing millions In the i'm
proVelnent Of the docks. II the Cunard COM
pany follows the White Star Line to southamp-
ton waters when the Mauretania and Lusltania
are ready to compete at every point with the
German liners. LivsrpOol's cup OF humiliation
Will be Drumming over. The carrying trade viii
remain, but 1t viii lose its prestige as the main
base OF the English passenger service with
America
LiverpoOFs decline as a passenger port now
seems inevitable. The German lines will not
surrender the speed record without strenuous
struggle. Leviathan viii be pitted against lsvia-
than. and turbine liners viii be improved in
mechanism and rendered more luxurious. It
will be one OF the sharpest maritime conflicts
In modern times and English competitors Will
be forced to take ADVANTAGE OF the geographical