The Washington times., 1923-05-14
SHIPPING TRADE
. BETTER, SAYS
DOLLAR
Business With Far East Is
Growing, and Demand for
Tonnage Increases.
BY WILLIAM RANDORF,
Cosmopolitan News Service.

COSnAOpOAltaU News service.
NEW YORK, May Shipping
prospects look good. Trade with
the Far East has improved con-
siderably in the last six months
and is likely to continue favorably, .
Capt. Robert Dollar, influential
shipping man of San Francisco,
said today.
Il suppose there is 25 per cent
more tonnage employed today than
there was a year ago. The ship.
ping trade has had no trouble with
employees, no delay due to labor
troubles The movement of cargo
to and from the Far East has been
steadily improving. There seems
to be better demand than for
some time previous to six months
ago.
| THE tariff is no longer a trouble.
About nine months ago when there
was SO much agitation over the
tariff, trade became paralyzed for
a time. But commerce has gradual
ly adjusted itself.
The shipping business can never
be called excellent while there is
SO much idle tonnage. This idle
tonnage, however, is being gradual
ly employed, even though there will
be a good deal of idle tonnage
throughout the year, / think. OF
course, there can be no resump.
ton of ship building until the idle
tonnage is employed.
A Diversified Cargo.
Trade between the Far East and
the United States has been quite
satisfactory lately. Our last ship
to reach New York from the Far
East carried seventyfiVe different
commodities, not counting those
she had delivered at ports between
the Far East and here. She took
out of New York l1arbor 100 diff
ferent commodities bound for the
Far East.
Production in the Far East is
increasing and will continue to do
so with the spread of education
there
Beside the Robert Dollar line of
many ships, including fourteen sail.
ing vessels, Captain Dollar operates
the Admiral Oriental Line of Gov
eminent ships. This is CAPTAIN
Dollars first visit to his New York
offices in a year. He says condi-
tons in shipping are about the
same all over the world for ships,
like water, seek their level, and slip
through the water Of the worlds
ports until they find their place.
II do not fear an initiation as far
as the shipping trade itself is con.
cerned," the captain said. But
initiation is TO be feared somewhat
in other lines of business. For
instance, tn shipping we are vitality
interested In lumber, and ! havse
been thinking that lumber has
reached too high price. Steel.
iron and other materials have gone
10 high also.
Many Prices Too High.
1T is not good when prices go
too high. 1t is far better to make
a reasonable profit and keep an
even pace. think all will agree
that prices must not go too high
The thing to do now is to keep
steady. q
eff Europe would only get down
to earth and be able to trade as
she did in former years, shipping
would be good again. Every
country seems to have it's own
story, however, in this European
trouble"
Captain Dollar is in a position to
understand Chinese conditions better
than most American business men.
He says China has been improving
it's factories and has developed con
siderable cotton trade, both in pro.
duction and manufacture.
1.-The trouble in Chiia is and has
been China's unsuitability 20 the
republican form of government.
China has done very well, consider
ing her difficulties. The people are
not educated enough yet to have a.
republican government. Since I
have been going to China / have
found the most widely different con-
ditions existing in provinces sldioin-
ing each other. In QUO province
murder and violence may hcld sway,
while peace reigns in the province
next door. China is the qucerest
country in this way l have ever
SEEN" he said.
Captain Dollar said Japan was the
cheapest place in the world to get
coal at present and Los Angeles and
San Francisco the cheapest for Gil.
AS one gravitates away from Cali
fornia fuel oil gets mole expensive,