FREIGHT RATES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume X, Issue 871, 10 May 1916, Page 6

FREIGHT RATES.

Discussing the freight market under date of London, February lOfcb, Fairplay states that chartering has been upon a fairly extensive scale, but rates in many cases are upon a lower level, which plainly indicates that > the Government methods for bringing down the excessively high ratea of freight tire meeting with considerable success. Owners generally would welcome a lower level of rates proviiied they could carry on their business without the menace of having thear ships requisitioned overshadowing all their transactions. Now that owners can to some extent charter ahead for heavy grain with the Government grain brokers or merchants, they are enabled to fix up a cerftain small proportion of their tonnagje without the requisitioning- bugbear over-

shadowing the transaction. This

Government hint to owners, viz, that by fixing ahead at the rateß indirectly offered by them for grain, requisitioning will be avoided —is having a marked effect in bringing down rates of freights, for owners very reasonably contend that 2s or 3s a quarter leas freight is far bettor business as a certainty than other business at the higher rates of freight, with the chance of requisitioning. So long as owners am dealt with fairly, the problem of bringing rates of freight down to a more reasonable level can be satisfactorily solved. In the course of the same article this authority remarks, however, (hat tonnage is required from Sicily for a cargo of sulphur to Australia, but the indication of Glis per ton does not seem atractive in view of the comparatively low maximum rale obtainable HoneWards from Australia.