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Experts in [his Country and Abroad RATES ARE CUT Shipping Board and Three West Coast Lines Reduce Tariffs in Effort © to Stimulate Movement of Freight Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. General freight agent for this service at New York is the Congress Coal & Transportation Co., Inc. and the Philadelphia agents are Megee, Steers & Co. The Princess Matorka, ex-German ship, once a transport, having been fully reconverted, has been de- livered to the United States Mail line and placed in service between New York and Mediterranean ports. The vessel is chartered from the government on the bare boat basis. Under similar terms, this line re- ceives the liners ANTIGONE and Pocanontas. The liner NEW ROCHELLE, which heretofore has been operated by the Baltic Steamship Co. has been with- drawn and assigned to the United States Mail line, which will operate her in the New York-Bremen-Dan- zig service. This line now is refitting the MERCURY Among foreign steamship lines activities appear to have been limited also. The Cunard has sent the Caronia on her first cruise of the Caribbean. The ALBANIA, first of the Cunard's new medium-sized liners measuring but 540 feet in length, now is sailing 'in the run between New York and England. The V:- pic, built during the war and used as a transport but now converted into a third-class passenger ship, has been placed in the transatlantic service by the White Star line. 3 The Hamburg-American line will have a third-class passenger vessel German to place in the transatlantic run next Thteresta Oe She wilt be operated under an : agency agreement with the United Active American lines. The Hamburg- : American line now has the new steamer Amas SENA for its serv- ices to Cuba and Mexico. Beginning shortly the Kos- mos line, Hamburg, and the Roland line, Bremen, will inaugurate a monthly service to Chile and Peru via the Panama canal. The service of the Deutsche- Levante line from Hamburg to North African ports, Ita, Palestine, Egypt and Greece has been re- egmrie ee: = established. The Greek line will add the ex-Ger- man passenger vessel, PRINz FREDRICH WIL- HELM, to _ its ShipoAid Needed .@ UCCESS for American shipping, as outlined by W. Averell Harriman in a recent address, re- quires the choice by congress of one of three remedies. These are direct government subsidy, indirect subsidy or the lifting of restric- tions imposed by antiquated laws. The new merchant marine is dying, Mr, Harriman said, and nothing has been done despite pledges by the present administration and by the Republican party. He said the $20,000,000 which the country now pays annually to have the shipping board operate its vessels, would solve the problem if furnished as a -subsidy to private shipowners. Labor should help in securing better laws as these hinder employment. services between New York and Piraeus. The Baltic American line, operating ex-Russian ves- sels under the Danish flag, is inaugurating a regular freight and passenger service from New York to Hamburg, Dan- zig and Libau. The East Asiatic Co., Copenhag- en, is opening a 135 freight and passenger service between Baltic ports and the United States. The U. S. Baltic line of Trond- hjem, Norway, is inaugurating a regular freight serv- ice between New York and Baltic ports. The Swedish- American line is having built a large diesel-engined passenger vessel for its transatlantic service. The America & India line is inaugurating with the steamer Ciry Or MarsEILLes a_ service between New York and Bombay via the Suez canal, offering accommodations for both passengers and freight. The French line has decided to operate a line linking up Antwerp with the principal ports of West Africa. A steamship line between Boston and Montreal via the St. Lawrence river is contemplated by the Canadian Steamship Lines, Inc. ae Company plans are necessarily predicated upon mar- ket conditions and for the past month business has been stagnant. Repeated efforts have been made to break the rates, but without material effect. The sim- ple reason is rates already are too low. An offer of $4 on coal to Dutch ports was rejected, the shipowner holding out for $4.25. Coal business to Italy, however, has been fairly active, the price holding up to a figure in excess of $6. More tonnage has been engaged in the transport of grain from the United States to Eng- land and the continent than has been employed by all other full cargo commodities. Grain prices have been fluctuating up and down without much stability. The cotton rate from Gulf ports to the Orient is declared due for a cut. In the grain business, foreign tonnage has been chiefly used inasmuch as it has been upon purchases made for governmental account. ts General reduction of ocean freights has featured the charter market of Freights the north Pacific during the last A month. The shipping board, urged rs by operators and shippers, has cut Reduced its rates to meet foreign competition. Other lines also have readjusted their tariffs to conform to present condi- tions. While chartering has been inactive, some busi- ness lately has been done in tonnage to carry grain and flour from north Pacific ports to Great Britain and Northern Europe. Six or eight shipping board vessels, which were idle, have been returned to serv- ice. This followed the shipping board's announce- ment of a cut in grain rates from $18 to $15 per ton. At the former rate, foreign vessels were get- ting the business while American vessels were lying in the boneyard. Operators of shipping board tonnage brought this situation to the attention of board offi- cials and, after considerable parleying, the cut was approved. : At least half of the northwest's surplus of grain