The New York herald., 1921-06-07

besides numerous smaller ones On the
Adriatlc coast she has the well known
venetian yards, where the Manin, the
largest Italian liner yet built, was
launched last week; new yards at Bari.
besides the excellently equipped yards
at and around Trieste that came to
Italy as war booty.
That Italy needed ships badly Is out
side the question. Before the war she
Imported yearly by sea 100000 tons
of merchandise, OF which rs per cent
was carried in foreign bottoms.
/ Ship Boom After the War.
Like every other nation, as soon as
the armistice was signed Italy's ship
building programme received an even
greater impulse than 1t had during the
war. To-day, however there are big
cargo ships half built standing on the
ways, work suspended because no one
wants them. and their cost to complete
would be more than the present day
value of tonnage. In this, as In other
things the policy of the Government
has been exceptionally weak.
When there was a shortage of bottoms
the Government, with the famous De
Nava and Villa DEGREES. promised that
all companies that invested their war
profits in new ships, either at home or
abroad, and placed these ships on the
| Italian register. for home-built ships be-
fore June 80. 1921. and for foreign built
ships before December. 1920. would be
considered exempt from the excess
profits duty
All the companies immediately raced
to build ships. Labor troubles. high cost
Of raw materials and wages and heavy
taxation in other directions having pre-
vented the contracts being entirely ful-
filed. with the consequence that many
companies feel themselves in the position
that they cannot pay for the ships anu
pay excess profits duty, and they can
not sell the ships built at present day
prices except at a heavy loss
The total amount of tonnage affected
by this law being built abroad to-day
is $4,000. No wonder, therefore. that
shipping and shipbuilding shares are at
low price with little hope OF a quick
Improvement.
The most satisfactory point in the ship
ping business to-day is the emigration
traffic. Although conditions OF the labor
markets of the world make little demand
for italian labor, this traffic was excep-
tionally good, during the last year COM
ing ND TO prewar figures In 1920,
211,227 persons emigrated to the Amer
| icas, 146.777 males and 64,450 females.
! or these 169,379 went to the United
States. while Argentina called for only
23,O35. Besides. 1871 emigrants left
the country for other parts OF Europe.
so per cent. for France. In the same
/ period 77.36sr emigrants returned to
Italy from abroad, 52,67S from the
United States.
Emigrant Gouging stopped.
! In fact. so great was the rush In the
emigration traffic last year that to
check abuses and exorbitant charges
of ocean lines the italian Government
was obliged to make special rules ana
ARRANGEMENTS to control the services.
A special company was formed called
the S. A. +. p. E. (Societa Anonima per
Emigrazione in Paesi EsterD. rms
company was intrusted by the Govern
ment with the transport from Italy OF
all emigrants leaving by lines other
than those sailing from italian ports.
The difficulty of the Government was
that while before the war there were
104, ,599 berths for emigrants on board
italian liners, after the war there Were
only ss.113, owing to the losses due to
the submarine warfare and the requisi-
t.oning of ships.
The foreign lines therefore came in
for large share OF the trauic, espe-
cially the French and Dutch. These
lines were charging the emigrants as
much as $500 lire for a passage from
Havre or Brest to New York. The new
company then undertook all arrange
ments for the el1igrant from the time
he left his home TIL he landed in New
York.
The first line with which any ar
rangements was made was the C. p. r..
which undertook, while landing the
emigrants in Canada, to carry them
to their destinations in the States. Other
companies have gradually taken up the
pan, so that to-day virtually all the
lines running from north European
ports to the United States work In con-
junction with the s. A. L. p. e.
The result is that prices have been
reduced to 1850 lire a passage. the emil
grants are we'll looked after. while
owing to the arrangements OF the COM
pany with the Government they under
20 quarantine before arriving at the
port of embarkaton. Because of the