Norwich bulletin., 1915-11-24
Control of British
 Mercantile Marine
SHIPPING CIRCLES ARE EXPERT.
 ENcINo KEENEsT ANXIETY
ARE CLIMBING
Ship Owners Have Asked the Gov ernment to Formulate Some Form of Uniformity in Requisitioains Ships.

The Associated Pressl.-Shipping cir cles are experiencing the keenest anx- .ety over the failure of the government % agree on a plan for better control of the British mercantile marine. Within the last three weeks the gov ernment has announced and subse- quently cancelled plans for exercising some measure of state control over shipping, and the fourth plan, which was to have been issued in the form of an order-in- council, has not yet ap- peared in full detail.
 Requests of Ship Owners.
 With the outbreak of the war, the government, through the admiralty, began to requisition merchant ships, but in spite of the repeated requests of the ship owners for the formation of a committee of their members to insure some system of uniformity in requisitioning ships, nothing of the sort was done. with the result that the authorities were soon flooded with complaints that many companies had so many of their ships taken that their activities were crippled, while rivals kept control of their normal ton- mage.
 With the scarcity of tonnage, rates began to climb until the. effects on England's vital problem of imports be- came too serious to be ignored fur ther. =
 First Step by Government.
 The first step taken by the govern mcnt to assert control, except the conventional requisition of ships for admiralty purposes, consisted in the issue of blacklist of neutral shipping suspected of employing German capi- tai or of being engaged in unneutral services. This blacklist did not pre- vent chartering of boats on 1t and was succeeded by an order-in-council which provided for seizure and con- demnation of any neutral ship even partly owned by German capital.
 Drastic Action Necessary.
 Apparently the government was finally moved to take drastic action by the immense earnings of shipping companies. plan was communicated to owners whereby the government proposed nothing less than the requisi- tion of the entire British mercantile marine. This plan contemplated reg ulating the trades in which British ships could engage, thereby giving better control of imports and exports, and frankly proposed using it to in- crease the government revenues. This was to be done by giving the owners what would be a high rate in normal times and charging the charterers the existing rate, the difference to find its way into the national exchequer. This plan never got beyond the shipping men, who smothered it under an ava lanche of protests.
 Cancel Orders.
 The third plan exempted wheat ships from America from seizure until they bad made another voyage after unload ing their cargoes here, and provided a system for licensing British bottoms trading between foreign ports. Hard ly was the ink dry on the circulars announcing this plan, before another order was issued cancelling it's pro- visions.
 Some Expert Advice.
 The ship owners besought the gov ernment to accept some expert advice before proceeding further. The result was the formation of two committees. The failure to publish complete de- tails of the plan is considered signifi- cant by ship owners, who fear the government may change its scheme for the fourth time.
 Plans Under Consideration.
 The first of these bodies, called the ship licensing committee, will issue licenses for trading between foreign ports. The second Is a requisitioning committee which will anticipate the urgent requirements of the country and if necessary exercise a pre- on ships.
 Licensing Plan Insidious.
 Several charterers here whose inter ests lie with neutral or other foreign shipping profess to see in the licensing plan an insidious attempt to safeguard British shipping against the growing marines of other countries which, although not yet rated strong enough to wrest trade from the bot toms flying the Union Jack, may be able to do so soon after peace Is de- clared. They claim that by threeat- sning under the licensing plan to with iraw certain ships upon which traders depend for their goods, the shippers could be forced to sign ironclad con -racts to use nothing but British bot toms over long period of years.
 Would Bring Ruin to Shippers.
 In support of this theory, they point l put that in certain trades between the | United States and South America the | of the British bottoms l would bring ruin on the shippers, for | It the present moment 1t would be to secure ships flying other l 1ags to take heir places. If this theory s correct, it can be readily appreciat- | ed that the licensing plan places al powerful trade weapon in the hands 1 ,f the British government, which will l not only enable it to control it's own l exports and imports, but will give it a l influence over the seal aOrna frada of 0tf1er countries .t--t |