SHIPPING TRUST.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1472, 21 June 1912, Page 5

SHIPPING TRUST.

ALLEGED "FIGHTING SHIPS."

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright New York, June 19. The Federal Government's suit against the North Atlantic Steamship Conference, for alleged operations against the provisions of the Sherman Anti-Trust Law, has begun. The evidence adduced indicated that the combine had agreed to operate certain ships, known as "fighting ships," to suppress tho competition of rivals.

Apart from tho agreement for the regit, latiou of passenger fares, tho Atlantic Shipping Companies are said to have formed a hostile combination which runs vessels from different Continental ports as occasion necessitates in competition with lines outside those belonging to what is known as the North Atlantic Conference —that, is to say, in tho ovent of any cutside steamer taking goods or passengers at lower charges than the ruling tariff one of these "fighting ships" is assigned to cut the rates. For instance (said a "Manchester Guardian" writer last year), all the competitive devices of the Conference are said to be in full force at the present moment against the Uranium Steamship Company, which maintains a service between Rotterdam and Now York. It is also alleged that four other lines have been ; forced out of tho business by the adoption of this policy. .