New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-09-15
SAYS BIG SUBSIDY
MUST AID MARINE
Exporter Believes Government
Will Have to Help American
Ship Owner.

American ship owners have slight
prospects Of sharing in the deep sea
trade Of this country unless they are
lacked up by the government with u
substantial subsidy to meet the com
petition Of the British shipping inter
csts, according to the Chamber Of
German American Commerce. The
chamber gave out statement made
By the head Of one of the large eX-
porting houses in the city yesterday
i'm which British interests arc charged
with doing many mean and unkind
things 10 the American shippers until
the Germans began 10 compete with
them Now these same interests, the
statement says, arc trying to get a
stranglc hold OIL the deep set business
&C this and other countries where the
Germans have given them sharp and
effective competition.
British shipping interests are
charged with having pools for the fix
ing of rates and OF giving induce
mcnts in the shape Of special rates to
trusts and big combinations. They
have also been able to shut out COM
petition, 1t is alleged, by cutting rates
10 figure that made it Improbable
for others to compete.
I
American ship owner has 10 fear, the
exporter says, and a substantial gov
crnmcnt subsidy is necessary To fight
il. The statement reads in part:
"Onc can understand that there arc
many obstacles TO prevent the opera
tion Of an American merchant marine
aside from the question of subsidy aud
the abolition Of the present antiquatdd
navigation laws. In the event of a
group of Americans getting together
aud purchasing a number of ships for
operation under the present law passed
by Congress the American owners, 10
make any money, would hay- to be in
Il position, first, to operate their ships
rs economically az the British uwncd
vessels, Us well as to be in a position
70 meet the rates of freight which
would be charged by the British ship
owner in competition with the Ameri.
can ard with the powerful British
pools now in existence for the Joint
operation of British-owned ships. In
deed, American ship owners would
stand very little show unless they were
properly backed up by the government
with sufficient subsidy to Offset The
losses they would be compelled to sus-
yam ~ HtNNNlNb NAN bilNlsH IOIIpGLi-
ton.
"For instance. II an American
owned ship was loading for Australian
ports at, say, 80 shillings ton meas
urement, the British-owued ship load
ing on the berth in competition would
Immediately place her rate Of freight
at 42.6 shillings, or, perhaps, 80
shiliings, and thereby secure all the
freight offered. unless the rates were
met by the American boat; and it
might be that the American, to secure
his share of the cargo, would have to
cut below 40 shillings, say to 37G
shillngs; and this state of affairs
might continue before the boats were
actually filled until the rate Of freight
had been cut in half. 1t can be seen,
therefore, that the combination of
British ship owners is the first and
real obstacle which would have to be
fought from the start by q mere hand.
full Of American ship owners. who
would be seriously handicapped, and
who would have to stake vast
amount of money before they could
even get TO II position where they
would hold their own as against a
foreign owner
IN ny opinion. the prospect of =