THE COMING SHIPPING WAR.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVI, Issue 43094, 18 May 1907, Page 4

THE COMING SHIPPING WAR.

It is interesting to the Colonies in general' and New Zealand in particular to note', that the evidence is fast .accumulating that a great shipping war Is coming. It is also doubly interesting to learn that it is the intervention of the German, vessels that will probably bring this about. A't present trade is , carried on by a "conference,” which includes such British lines as Bueknall Biros., Tysers, the Federal Line, HorJder ißro., and important American coadjutors.' Last- year the sailings between New York and Australasian ports numbered thirty-four, of which the English lines took nineteen and the American, fifteen.. Ai short, while ago. two German lines, the Hausa Company, of Bremen, and the Ger-man-Australian Steamship Company, of. Hamburg, cast covetous eyes upon this trade and proposed to enter the Anglo-American conference and take part in its business The Gertnan companies, with characteristic modesty, wanted four or five sailings a year to. be allotted to eaah of them, which would have amounted to a very fair proportion of the total n,umber. Not unnaturally the houses strongly resented tho proposed intrusion, and, 'with the exception of Tysers, the. English firms took up the same attitude. The Tyser line, however, in a purei spirit of philanthropy, espoused tht cause of the German invasion, and/throwing in its lot with the newcomers, announced the dates of sailing of three vessels, two German and cne British;, from. New York to There is every reason to believe that the other Companies will' decline to allow themselves to be squeezed! but of their business to make way for the Germans. In fact, in New York it is regarded as certain that there will be a! devastating freight war,, during which goods will be carried from' Aknericta to Australasia at miulch lower rates than those ruli ig in the Old Country. British manufnturers mil tbps be penalised in, oomoetition with their American rivals. There is a certain amount of temporary Satisfaction, to the importer in a freight war of this character, but long experience las shown that the benefit is only a visionary one. Hut the shipping war will have a dose relation to° colonial commerce and for that reason will doubtless be closeiy a.tched.