SEA MONOPOLY SOUGHT

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LXII, Issue 17, 4 March 1941, Page 6

SEA MONOPOLY SOUGHT

PACIFIC TRADE ROUTES

ENTERPRISE OF JAPANESE

The astonishing growth of .the Japanese mercantile marine fleet in rece'nt years is partly aimed at monopolising routes in the Pacific, this is the view of ,the British ship-; ping journal Fairplay, which urges immediate British action to prejvent the loss of valuable trade routes. Fairplay points out that since 1919 Japanese shipping has increased by 142 per cent, from 1418 ships totalling 2,325,266 tons gross to 2337 ships of 5,629,845 tons. It is generally believed that a large amount of tonnage has been added since the last returns were published in 1939. Japan wants still more vessels and steps are apparently being taken which will enable her to improve her position and find more and more cargo for her ships and more ships for her cargoes.

Pointing out that Japanese owners are always able to compete successfully with the British in ordinary circumstances, because of their low cost of running, Fairplay refers to various manipulations by which they have established a vir-

tual monopoly over certain routes. "Avowedly, it ia the intention of the Japanese to increase trade to and from India and Australia, and other parts of the world, at the expense of British owners," says the journal., "The time has clearly arrived for us to take a leaf fron*-^ the Japanese book and proceed to * capture and retain carrying trades which by right belong.to the British owners who initiated and developed them."