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F 5 : 4 es ; ; 3 < a s Re : , pe eee tes SLES Po ae, Leyte. World Charter Market Reviewed by EXPORTS GROW Withdrawal of Convoy System Per- mits Vessels to Travel at Maximum Speed Relieving Tonnage Shortage NE of the surprising announcements of the past month was that the total exports during January exceeded our exports for any previous month. The volume of foreign trade from our ports during February has set another record, although trade experts in a position to make an accurate fore- cast expect a falling off after this. The question of how this was possible when the ship shortage was alleged to have been so acute, is answered by the fact that during the past few months, the convoy system was abandoned. Ships were allowed to reach their maximum speed and were not required to delay their sailings merely to wait for a proper convoy. Toward the close of February, seven more American vessels were returned to their owners. This great shift from a war to a peace basis has been going on at a much more rapid rate than many steamship people themselves thought possible. ; The New England coal trade has practically ceased and these ships are being chartered wherever they can be used. On March 1 the railroad administra- tion released the remainder of the coastwise fleet. The Clyde line, which has reconsidered its decision to discontinue the service between New York and Philadelphia, is making trips Tuesday and Friday of each week. The company is: operating under the same rates between-New York and Philadelphia as are in force by the railroads, excepting that it does not pick up or make deliveries of lighterage lots of freight at New York when moving in lots less than 50 tons to or from one point in the harbor. Three of the American-Hawaiian liners are to be returned and chartered to the United States Steel Products Co. in the South American trade. After the armistice until the end of 1918 there were no Amer- ican ships offered for charter, but today charters are possible at approximately $8.33, government form. This is considered a high charter rate but compares favorably with the high point, $13, in July, 1917. Hardly a day passes but that some old line is re-established or the White Star line has sailed from New York to Azores, Gibraltar and Genoa, thus re-establishing the Mediterranean service. The Baltimore office of the Cunard, Anchor and Anchor-Donaldson lines has been established and opened for business under the man- agement of Douglas G. Hanson, who has succeeded Arthur B. Swezey. Mr. Swezey will assume charge of the San Francisco office of the same company. The Red Star line resumed sailings from Philadelphia to Antwerp with the new steamer Rocrer, 5552 tons. The Rocrer came to Philadelphia from the other side in ballast. It is planned to maintain a fortnightly service with three boats, as before the war. The Far Eastern trade out of New York has im- proved greatly. The tonnage offered is adequate for package and space freight but is not entirely adequate for bulk and heavy freight. The amount of tonnage for South America is quite satisfactory, although the exporters are demanding more. Prior to the begin- ning of the war there was about 25,000 tons dead- weight plying between New York and South America monthly. The shipping board has allocated a total of 268 vessels, aggregating 1,193,921 deadweight tons, to the South American service in addition to the ves-: sels privately owned. Over 750,000 tons are in the West Indies trade and nearly 9000 tons in the Central American trade. Many shipping board vessels are in the Mexican tank service. : Since the signing of the armis- tice the ship lines have been busy Expect to cleaning up the great accumulation Clean Us of freight which was present at : nearly every American port. That Freights work has kept them extremely busy. But some change is expect- ed in the future. The orders from abroad are coming in only slowly and it is feared that there will be a scarcity of cargoes before the year is out. A revision of commodity prices in the United States may save this situation and shipping people are confident that this change will come. They -are still certain that the next 10 years will be a bumper period for ship. lines provided the government gives them an opportunity to do business up- on a normal rather than an abnormal basis. The German Crowds Out Germans ITH the leaving of the steam- ship MaAvRrETANIA on March 12 from New York, the Cunard line inaugurated its new service be- tween New York and Southampton. The big passenger steamers have heretofore made Liverpool their home port,- and the change to Many New a new one inaugurated. Now it is understood that the Cunard line ; intends to supplant the German Established lines which before the war ran great passenger and freight ves- sels between the United States and the channel ports of France. The entrance of the British company into this new field will not mean the relinquishment or weakening in any way of the other routes, which are being served at the present time, for it is the intention of the company to build vessels to supplement the mammoth Aguiranta and Mauretania. These new vessels will be used be- tween Liverpool and New York. The CaNnopic of Lines * merchant ton- nage-will be turned over to the allies be- fore long and the American government will obtain probably over 300,000 tons, which >-can be used in the transport serv- ice. According Southampton is expected to check any ambition of the old German lines to re-establish their services between America and the English channel ports. Hereafter the fast express steamships of the Cunard line, such as the AguitTania and MAvRETANIA, will run to -South- ampton, with a stop at Cherbourg The New York to Liverpool service of the Cunard line will be main- tained with vessels of large cargo and passenger capacity,