SHIPOWNERS ANXIOUS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16577, 28 December 1915, Page 6

SHIPOWNERS ANXIOUS

FURTHER STATE EMERGENCY POWERS.* v A BOARD OF TRADE DENIAL.' (Fbom Our Own Cobreseondent.) • LONDON, November 5. Rumours of far-reaching* importance to British shippers have been in circulation in the city for some days and they have not been altogether laid at rest by the following official statement issued this week:— , "The Board of Trade.has had its attention called to statements ' that the Government contemplates the requisitioning of the entire British mercantile marine. Ihese statements are" without foundation. The Government, has. however; decided to take.powers to*'deal: bv means qf the requisitioning of a" sufficient number of vessels, with cases- where an emergency of national importance exists at any time in any particular' market owing to an absence of tonnage, and, fur- , to , . regulate the employment .of British shipping in the carriage of cargo between foreign ports by means of licenses. Fuller particulars wilP be issued very shortly." The serious and persistent rise in has added to the cost, of thej necessaries of life and is seriously crippling trade, has. been under the con- ' sideration of a Cabinet, committee. Mr Asquith says that its " recommendations ' have been adopted by the Government and will be cariied into effect without: delay. Ifc was also explained in the House of Commons that of the 247, British vessels which have been transferred! to foreign flags since the beginning of t the'. war, about one half were transferred before the British Ships (Transfer Restriction) Act came into force. In the case of' l vessels transferred since the Act came in force, a bond or other effective guar- ■ antee is required that the vessels will not * be used directly or indirectly to help tfie enemy's trade. The list also includes vessels, transferred to allied' Governments. WHAT OWNERS THINK. " London shipowners,!' says The Times, ' 'are not enamoured of'the idea of a new department under thp cegis of the Board of Trade: requisitioning, tonnage in competition with the Transport Department of the Admiralty. T]iey feel that they -have already had to deal with to 6 .many different departments of the Government, whose interests do not always coincide. There is a strong belief that the whole shipping problem will only be dealt with efficiently if and when there is one shipping department managed by shipping experts' to put into effect the' wishes of the Admiralty, the War • Office, the. Foreign Office, and now, presumably, the Board of Trade. Such a shipping department could co-ordinate all the demands which are now made, and may to an increasing extent be made, in future in the name of the State. It is firmly, believed that by its establishment the repetition could tie avoided of such extravagant and wasteful methods, as have admittedly characterised certain of the. Government's operations in shipping since the- outbreak of war. - v "No objection is likely to be taken to the restriction'by means of licenses of' trade between foreign ports, provided that the regulation is carried out with full knowledge of the facts and with dis-p cretion. Here again, it is held, advantage should be taken of owners' knowledge. To remove liners on a large scale from inter neutral trade might have a disastrous effect on the British shipping industry. One effect might be to send into such trades all the neutral shipping whichis now bringing to this country something like one-third of our total imports. The result of such a reshuffling might well be to leave the trade with this country in no better position as the total amount of tonnage, while a serious blow 'would have been struck at Great Britain's position as the world's carrier. But there is a certain amount of ' free'• tonnage now . being employed in neutral trades which in view of the circumstances could undoubtedly be put 'with advantage into purely British services. A third pr6posal now being made by the Board of Trade is that a- far-reaching clause should be inserted in all bills of lading. It would give the shipowner power to refuse liability for all contracts if and whefn :called" upon to do so bv the Government. Ho would be entitled to land goods at any port at the risk and expense, of the merchant and have the same changed on the [roods - for freight as if the voyage had been completed. Great difficulties are foreseen in the way of inserting such a, clause.>