New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-09-28
FRENCH SHIPPING BOOMS
New Ships To Be Built for
Oceanic Travel.
AFTER EMIGRATION TRADE
Trying to Break Practical
Monopoly Long Held
by Germany.
From Tho. Triburo Correspondent, !


Paris, Sept 19.--Several indications
point TO the fact that great revival Of
the French shipping trade is impending
The French steamship lines. backed by
heavy government subsidies. are MAX
Ing serious efforts 10 secure the profit
able Russian and Northern Europe emil
grafton traffic 10 the United States and
South America, which just now is al
most exclusively in German hands.
The French companies have at last
taken a leaf from the book OF their
rivals. They discovered that the enor-
nous development of the German navi-
cation companies resulted from trans
porting emigration TO America. although
| Germans form only a small and grad
ually diminishing percentage OF these
emgrants.
BY clever. businesslike enterprise the
German companies attracted TO their
lines by far the largest share OF Rus
sian. Polish and Scandinavian emf
grants. and more recently they succeed
ed IN getting n big proportion OF the
emigrants from Italy. Austria Hungary
and Southeastern Europe.
England. feeling keenly the German
competition. has taken steps to retain
| its hold on this lucrative traffic. and the
Cunard Company secured an advanta-
geous emigration transportation con-
tract with the Hungarian government
The White Star Line. and the Anchor
Line already tap the coasts Of the Medi-
terranean.
| Russian emigration, which continues 70
| be one Of the most profitable. is still In
| German hands. The French now mean
10 capture this trade from the Germans,
and with It a big part of the freight OF
| Northern Europe. The German authori-
ties have greatly facilitated the opera
| lions Of their own companies by practical
IIy preventing Austro- Hungarian and
Russian emigrants 10 America holding
other transatlantic passages than German
| from passing through Germany TO reach
their ships with their belongings.
The French are about TO appoint an
Under Secretary of State for the merchant
navy, and It is now proposed that France
and Russia should make a convention IKE
that between the Cunard Line and
Hungary. The argument is that this
trade should pass through the hands OF
allies. and should no longer be monop-
oily Of Germany. a possible adversary OF
Russia. Moreover the new French line
from Lbau and Revel would absorb
part OF the important emigration from
Scandinavia, and also a considerable
traffic in freight.
The movement TO give renewed life 10
the French merchant marine is already
afoot. for the law approving the new con
tract between the French government and
the Compagnie Transatlantique was lately
promulgated This law chiefly concerns
the new postal arrangements between
Havre and New York. A feet OF new and
fast mail, passenger and freight steamers
VIII gradually be built.
The French government gives con-
cession 20 the Compagnie Transatlan-
tique company for twenty-five years
dating from the beginning of this year
The company will be obliged 10 buhd
four ships OF the newest type for ocean
traffic.
The government insists upon every I'M
provement in naval art in the construc-
ton of these new mail boats between
France and the United States. and each
liner must be built in France, In order 10
gain the subsidy. The conditions Of the
government ara stringent 10 protect
French shipbuilding and industry. The
system OF premiums for speed VIII be
abandoned, and in the future an average
speed will be required OF twenty Knots
In summer and eighteen knots In winter
The control Of the company VIII be IN
the hands OF the Ministry or Finance
and the yearly subsidy is expected 10
reach about $4,000 Similar arrange
ments are being negotiated with the
.Messageries Maritimes, trading with
South America The object In view. both
with the government and the ocean com
NAMES. is 10 try 20 catch up lost ground
In the competition now going on between
the maritime nations Of the world.