GERMANY'S MARINE TRADE.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 13012, 27 June 1906, Page 3

GERMANY'S MARINE TRADE.

FRANK BULLEJTS WARNING. Mr Frank T. Bullpen, the eminent writer on sea, seamen, and ships, was interviewed at Auckland on the proposed joint action of the Curiard P. and O;" and Pacific Companies, in securing the freight and passenger trade of Australasia and the Far East against the keen competition of the foreign mercantile marine. He feared, he said, that some heroic measures were necessary to check the rapid advance of German! shipping trade, not only in the waters of the Eastern Hemisphere, but in other parts of the globe as well." "'Germany," observed Mr Bullen, "has made it a cardinal principle to destroy the British Empire.- This is not my opinion—l base what I say upon the utterances of the Germans themselves. The newspaper press of the Fatherland differs from our own, in {bat there is /not freedom of the press in that country to which we are accustomed, and if I read as I have read again and again, the avowed intention of Germany is to oust us from the sea, I know very well that such statements are authorised, if not actually official. I have German friends who assure me that Anglophobists in their country are few and inconsiderable, but what can I think when I learn that even very children are asked 'to contribute. towards the building of at great navy, which is it hoped to complete in 1910 for the expressed purpose of defeating that of Great Britain. j "I have hammered at this question for :years," continued Mr Bullen, "and have pointed out—as one crying in the wilderness I might say—that Germany's intention is to capture British trade in all parts of the. world, and that at amy cost. It is no secret—never has been—for they are contemptuous of us, and our power, that they make, no attempt to hide their-hatred of us, nor their object of destroying us. I admire the Germans very much., for their organisation, but it is a terrible thing, when you come to think of it, that not in war time, but in times of peace, there is a great and powerful nation, with a single' aim before it—of destroying what is our life—our mercantile marine! Let me tell you, that when I was at St. Thomas in the West Indias recentlv, no less than seven 6000 ton vessels of the HamburgAmerican line, all flying light, arrived there within five days-, and I gathered that there was an average of !o ne steamer in or out daily, calling at that port, What for? I know St. Thomas is a coaling station of the company,, but there is no trade at the island. No, I'm sure these great German vtssels travel round the world as advertisements. They will take anything thev can get, and a £200,000 or a £150,000* ship will put into a port for a single passenger, of for £lO worth of cargo. Now, no company could do this kind of business, and exist. There must be somt heavy Government subsidy behind it all. I said so, too, and Herr Thoman, the managing director, replied. He spoke rather sarcastically of my ability as a critic, and he denied that his company—the Hamburg-American— received a dollar of subsidy from the Geranau Government, but he did not supply a tittle of pTobf in support of his statement. "<3ermany is a large.and rich country, and could be self-contained. It is true that her population might have to emigrate, but I can see no other reason, for the rapid expansion of the German mercantile marine than a gigantic attempt to ruin us by striking us in our most vulnerable part —our mercantile marine." How would you propose to combat this competition, Mr Bullen was asked.

"There should be really serious recognition upon the part of the persons in power at Home of the situation of our mercantile marine," replied Mr Bullen. "Just imagine how terribly insecure England is in the matter of food supplies, all of which have to come by sea. Stop England's mercantile marine for one week, and England would be starved out. The" Germans know that as well as anybody, but they not only know it, they are doing all they can so that, when the right time comes, they may strike a blow which will isolate Great Britain's food supply, and shut up the British Islands, as Paris was shutup in 187 Q. I have not seen it stated, butl'lK'Y 3»ntee that there was no highly \ "person at the xecent launch \l\£ ..Crania, the largest liner in the >-* .-- At .any rate, tht cable messages igos* j&ing about it, and if the King or Prince had been present, I think $S* should have heard. Why, I was preisent at the launching of the Celtic, the Cedric, and the Baltic, then the largest ships in the world, and, would you believe it, the people present were quite incon>picnous persons—directors of the company, journalists, and workmen. The ves-els j were launcSied with less ceremony than a small schooner might be launched "in Auck'and. When the gigantic hull 3of the tps had left the ways, a gehtle..iin said: : " We'll now adjourn for refreshment." So we had a stand-up luncheon, no speeches, and that was all there was about it.

" But, look how differently they do these things in Germany! Tie Kaiser would have been present and launched the ships hiarself. and the -occasion -would liave been utilised for some startlin* speech, perhaps a slap at England, who knows? But you mu>-t admit th?.t this kind of thing stimulates in the German people. a vigorous, healthy public interest i= their mercantile marine, vfaich to us Britons is our verv life."

" To what do you attribute the success of the Germans!" "Their success is entirely due to their patience in mastering details, • to the at-

tention they pay to their passengers, and ■ to (their eagerness to learn. What do you think 'hordes of well-educated poor Germans j go to London for? To sit meekly at our knees a<nd learn? No, Tout to find out all.we.know, and to improve upon what they learn. No matter how good a man may be at anything, others, if they learn it, can always improve upon it.: Bless you, in the old days, yet not so very old, a particular British steamship company—one of tht greatest "of tbem all—did not fail to let a passenger- feel that in carrying him and taking his money they were doing him a personal favour. Not only thirdclass, passengers were slighted, all were made to feel by shipping clerks and stewards, that they ; were under a great obligation in being allowed to travel at all. Well, the Germans eaw through this at once, and bo matter the cost, they catered for British passengers in all classes, and 'did' him well, but I am really glad to see that several of our -best British lines have recognised the position and are doing as the Germans. " I fear that a good deal of mischief has already been done, but the combine to which you .refer should be able to do much 1 to retrieve the position. The people at Home up ere it be too late. There should be .greater attention paid to the subject by the Government, and I don't care what party may be in power, and you would find, .if some commander in the mercantile marine were decorated by tihe sovereign, for. distinguished service, • and the same interest?, raken-.by the British people at Hpme and in the colonies in the mercantile marine and navy as by the.Gerlife, our mercantile, marine... Let me tell mails',, we sh;ouldi r see i.a renmrkiible improvement. I ! have been afraid that the Australian mail contract will be secured by';Jpreigxersj.' If this,:should. l would be a deadly bl&w dealt'at'theJNfother Country,, by.her* own snore shock in ftie - series that may ultimately proyjELfataL ~.....,.-■- " "By all means let New Zealand keep her coastal trade in British^hands. America has'been straightforward in this by including the Philippines in their co'asts, and,.Germany does the same,. The Americans are' friends of ours, but in matters of business ■ they are as foreign to .us as the Germans, and they regard us as foreigners, too, for all shipping purposes,; at any rate. New Zealand, no more than Great Britain, can afford to see gradual' absorption of British trade by Germany or anybody else. I certainly hope that the proposed combine of the shipping, campanies—if it has; for,-, its -.aims,-the ijarevention of German monopolisation of British trade—will' be entirely successful."