New-York tribune., 1921-02-08
Coal Carrying,
Trade Slump Is
Blow TO Marine
rreigl,fs to Europe Are Only
s4 a Ton, but Little Is To
BE Had Now Even az
These Depressed Figures
Britain Seeks Old Field
sAmerica Cannot Retain
Business Permanently
Declares English Paper

The decided slump in the export coal
trade is accentuating the general de-
session in ocean freight rates. Ves-
,els are carrying coal now to con-
s,sntal European ports at 81 a ton,
eompared with S1s to $50 within the
hst year, but even at these rates little
business is being done.
Return of British coal production to
nractically normal figures has COM
plicated the situation, Two or three
months ago the bulk of the worlds
eosl supply was being shipped from
American ports, but Great Britain is
now coming back into the field as a
competitor for the trade she formerly
held. The much shorter haul from the
United Kingdom to continental Euro
vean ports is a great factor in her
tsyor.
The British situation, however, s not
An unclouded one. Through the policy
otthe British government wages in the
collieries have risen greatly since the
BEGINNING of the war.
British Situation Clouded
"The result of the governments
policy" says the British shipping
weekly Fairplay, "is that while industry,
and shipping in particular, has had to
pay exorbitantly for coal, trade has been
starved, America has won markets
which we shall have to regain from
her, and has earned what should have
fallen to US. And over and above all
this, the. commercial and financial
strngency has at last come to a head;
less coal is being bought; prices have
dropped abroad; though our output
ID better the market is lacking; wages
remain the same and at an impossihIy
high level at that; and there are no
means of meeting the promissory note
given by t. government to the miners,
except by raising the price of indus
trial and domestic coal and so still
further postpcning national GONZALES
cence." ...
Loss of the export coal trade will be
grave blow to the American merchant
marine, IN the view of another British
shipping publication, The Syren and
p
"The serious depression in the
freight market is causing more loss to
United States shipping than to that of
any other nation. Further, that de-
preston has proved very convincingly
mat unless some method can be found
q decreasing the advantages possessed
~ other maritime Enthusiastically
NOSE Of greater experience and lower
expenses-the Shipping Board feet will
very soon have to go out of business.
Until now It has survived, thanks to the
British coal miners.
Loss of Trade Predicted
But although America has succeeded
ID swapping Europe with coal, it is al
ready becoming evident that Europe
VIII not be permanent market for the
American coal exporter. The United
States will then be left with an i'm
nense tonnage, which cannot be oper-
sted successfully in competition With
the British, Japanese and Scandinavian
marines, unless the expenses of the
shipping of those countries are raised
% the same level as those of American
ships" iG'' Il
for some time past. however, Amer
gsn shipping men point out, the bulk
y tne ocean carrying of American coal
aus been IN the hands of foreign ship
Ping, and the Shipping Board at one
ame withdrew its tonnage completely
nom this trade. How the market
sands at the present time is indicated
~, the latest weekly report of A. Fl.
"a aail Co., which gives a list of twelve
nIures from American ports, not
mngle one of which is an American
srs sssSei; l., Five. are British, two Greek,
pSo Norwegian and the other three
tVmrtuguese, Danish and Spanish.
a,,i ~ Almost all cases markets remain
sson ,l3t nuli d Co. say, "and rates have
ss sSrn wi5Inout ,quotable change. Vessel
Nan s'ts s. nave been turning their atten-
bo 10 otner trades as much as posi-
e, sn, Dut there is very little cargo of
sny sort offering. There are manv
,ssseis laid up and rates have not been
I;setWe enough to draw them from
saeir retirement.
81 Rate to Rotterdam
All ine Scandinavian trade continues
@ salI. Rotterdam and French Atlantic
yUt's reported one or two fixtures. hut
,s Is demand did not carry the rates
ass9se "a to Rotterdam, with an option
sspehch Atlantic at $3.50. The Medi-
hasean ports are also quiet. al
.ssa .asp there have been few small
Sa'goes available. No charters can
reported in the coastwise trade"
,bas as the growth of the British mer-
sjs,a siaSO marine is founded on Great Brit
rs Nil, export coal trade, every effort
II 4i m De made to bring that trade back
Ns normal position Of providing
ss,p pei cent OF the bulk British export
R;soes' Ry;s;"n' 1t is imperative from the
Sa eronn9 viewpoint to regain the lost
hri+y9naa' as the coal trade has furnished
shIParts of the world. "
now completely war conditions nm
~ the normal coal export ia indica sad
y y, the fact that a few days aeo a ,vs1o ves-
ain.,Es,1ot ,s1t Australia with coal for Scan
Ian asian countries and on the same day
s,S sS'sel left this country for Australia
'ea cargo of American cnnI