Colonial Cargo for Endand.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXI, Issue 6202, 24 February 1904, Page 2

Colonial Cargo for Endand.

War Risks laroo3ed;

Wellington, Feb. 23. lhe underwriters in London have decided to, charge war risks on cargo shipped for Great Britain, and local agents have been advised to charge accordingly. The rates chargeable are as follows:—By steamers via Suez, 2s Od per cent.; by steamers via either Cape Is r>d per cent.; by sailers, os per cent. There is already a war risk of 103 per cent, being charged on cargoes trom Australasia to Japanese and Russian ports.

The war rates now chargeable oa cargo from here to Britain, as stated above, are low, and are similar to those charged during the Fashoda incident in 1898, when there was some talk of Eussia going to the assistance of France. That trouble, however, blew over, and there wns at the tinae some complaint regarding the action of the underwriters. What has since transpired has, however, ehown that the underwriters were quite justified in the decision they came to. Ad.tniral Alexieff, who is now in cotntnand at Port Arthur, was at that time actually negotiating in America for armed, cruisers to.harry British commerce in the event of war, and the startling revelations ot the French newspaper " Figaro " the other day have shown

that Russia then endeavoured to precipitate war between England and Fratce. NTo doubt, the British Government knew of this at the time, and the underwriters ba I evidently more tjhan a suspicion of tha trouble that was in the air.