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Experts in This Counties aan Abroad been able to book only small quantities of miscel- laneous package goods and a few lots of foodstuffs for Germany. Passenger traffic conditions have been extremely bad. There has been a great demand for bookings, a demand which the steamship lines have been un- able to meet, and in addition the labor troubles. have materially delayed sailings. This will be relieved only in part with the release of requisitioned tonnage. The French government has returned La France and that vessel sailed during August for New York on its first commercial trip since the war. There are today more passenger ships under the American flag than prior to the war, but these ships, being war prizes mainly, have added nothing to the world's tonnage. Great Britain has lost considerably in this type of vessel. She has come out of the war with but nine vessels measuring in excess of 20,000 tons. These are the ApriaTic, AQUITANIA, Batic, BELGIC, Cepric, CELTIc, MAuRETANIA, IMPERATOR and OLyM- pic. Under the Dutch flag is the Rorrerpam, and under the French flag is the France and the Paris. Under the Italian flag is the Guitio Cersare, and under the American flag is the LEvIATHAN, AMERICA, GrorGE "WASHINGTON, MINNESOTA and KAISERIN AUGUSTA VICTORIA. The passenger situation has become so acute, due to strikes, labor de- Raise mands and vessel shortage, that the P conference lines increased their trans- assenger atlantic fares. The first-class pas- Fares sage now costs $15 more, the second class $10 and the third class $5 more. The new rates are between 50 and 60 per cent higher than the prewar passenger fares. The steamship lines insisted that this advance was necessary due to the larger cost of operating. Charters are scarce although some business has been done on trips. As a general thing American charters have been quoted at $9.50 on the time rate, whereas Scan- dinavian and neutral tonnage has been quoted at 35s... British charters have been bringing bart e2os, pire that lower price is .due to the fact that British ships a he, -1c- stricted. Rates to United King- dom ports have been reduced and the rates to South Amer- jcan points have been weak for some time past. White it would look as though there is a gen- Lowers Freight Rates O encourage shipping between this country and South Amer- ica, the shipping board recently inaugurated a sharp cut in rates from River Plate to United States ports. The new schedule of com- modity rates makes the charges per gross ton as follows: Wet hides, $35; wool and _ hair, $30; quebracho cased, $35; que- bracho sacked, $30; cheese, $45; tallow, $45; casein, $40; pickled skins, $50; case meats, $40; fer- tilizers, $30; minerals, $30. Marked improvement in labor Conditions at the terminal ports, according to the shipping board, has allowed the reductions be- Cause vessels are now enabled to shorten the time spent in port. ne 2ral tendency 453 MORE LINES Being Organized to Carry Ameri- can Commerce in New Trade Lanes --Pacific Conditions are Unsettled toward lower freights such a movement is not expected in shipping circles. The tonnage in com- mand today is much greater than it was last spring, but the cargoes offered are. more plentiful. Ship- ments are moving in such an unbalanced way that it is impossible to get full use of a vessel. Expensive delays have been encountered at the French ports and many ships have been compelled to return with- out cargo. . : New lines trying to get into the business are the cause of a disturbing situation. One of these startled the market recently by quoting low rates to River Plate expecting to inaugurate a line of vessels early in October. Another large exporter spoke of being given a low quotation to Scandinavia. This situation causes no little apprehension to the established op- erators. Little competition has manifested itself over the grain traffic. This is due largely to the fact that England and Europe generally is still on a war basis. The British government itself is attending to the transportation of grain from the Northern Range although. some little business has been done on private account. The Italian and French govern- ments have also engaged in this business of trans- porting grain because of the food restrictions in those countries. Shipping men are inclined to believe that this situation will continue even longer than this year's crop because they do not expect the food emergency in Europe to pass soon. The English have decided that Canadian grain must go via the St. Lawrence and therefore little, if any, will be exported this year through United States ports. American grain is being rushed to the lower lake' ports and the railroads are being pushed to keep the elevators there free to receive the new crop. Coal is being shipped to European destinations in fair quantities. It is Coal Trade being carried even to the Scandi- Rail at navian countries. The development we of the foreign coal trade promises Promise much for both the industry and for American ship operators. Approxi- mately 2,000,000 bales of cotton will be exported through the Texas ports this year, ac- cording to present indications, and this probably will not be 20 per cent of the cotton business. Lumber freights, except to New York and Philadel- phia and South Africa loading, have taken an upward trend. Coastwise freights advanced 50 cents a 'thousand from all ports to California. Philadelphia is being served by 15 new ship lines. The American Steamship Navigation Co. will operate a freight service to Marseilles and Barcelona. The port of Philadelphia expects to handle over 50,000,000