GUTTING RATES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 95, 15 January 1908, Page 7

GUTTING RATES.

WARS AND ALLIANCES IN SHIPPING WORLD. ATLANTIC TRAFFIC. ■ • BIG GERMAN AMALGAMATION.' «r TKr.EauArn—rr.tss AssociATioNn-coriwonT, London, January 14. . An acute rate-cutting .war lia.B bogun. Thb White Star and othor members' of, the Pier? pout Morgan : shipping combine have refused jo increase tlio rates for the gigantic liners, Lusitania and Maurptania. : , v J Berlin, .January 14. i A working agreement has boon .arranged betwoen tho Hamburg, American, and Nord-deutschor-Lloyd linos, ing 1,652,430 tons',of sliippjng,'.?-, ' ■ London January 14.. The Norddoutcher-Lloyd lino has induced the Nippon Yusen Itaisha (Japaneso line) to abandon competition m regard to tho ports of Singapore, Bangkok, : Hongkong, Swatow, and Hoihou. .'' ',- A TREMENDOUS FLEET, , The Pierpont Morgan shipping combine, the International 'Mercantile Manue Company, formed in 1!|02, 'embrace# the American, Atlautic■■Transport,'Dominical, Leyland, lied Star, and White Star lines. According to the current " Wliitakev's Almanack!"'" this combine controls 12li steamers and 1,063,269 tons, while the 'Norddentjcher-JJoyd controls 118' steamers and 701,000 tons. Another authority' states that, tho! Ilanibiirg-Amcrican' line control? 15? steamers . and 936,943 tone. ' Combining.'. th,o two German fleets in this basis, we liavo a fleet of. 276 steamers and 1,627,543 .tons,' far exceeding tho number of steamern and.'the' tonnugo' set 'down against tho Morgan, .combine, previously the greatest, of all! . V. In announcing cuts by all the British lines! a T-oridon paper remarked on October 17: "It now rests, with the German of which, the Hamburg-American, is claime'd to have' started the ' war '—to make ';' the next "love, and as most, of the first .cabin feres are down to ,£lO, which constituted a' minimum for a cabin passenger so-far as the,- Board of ■Trade' are concerned,' if there'.! is>- a further development it will be in the! direction of second cabin and steerage rates." The paper further voices a prediction winch luis not yet been borne out—viz., that the heads of thb various, companies will come together-and prevent the waste of money. '/■'.' V The refusal to the rate? for the gigantic liners, Lusitania unci,;"Mauritania!'? owned by the Cunard Company, 1 perjiapif-means that the big steamers ''are costing , a lot- of money, anil that tho Cunard Conipauy would be glad to bo able to charge a' special rate, to which the' other companies TyiU not agree!