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Marine Review > . February 1929 United States Liner President Roosevelt Entered in New York Havana Run to Meet Cunard Competition Cunard Ignores American Protests Enters Caronia in New York-Havana Run Editorial SHAT would the British say or do or how would they feel if an American shipping company, ‘thinking they could coin money by doing so, should enter an espe- cially fine vessel in the cross channel service from Dover to Calais? We fully appreciate the fact that the British are very open-minded about their so-called coastwise and direct and indirect trade and that normally the world is cordially invited into any of these British trades if they like, and the devil take the hindmost. But would they like it? Wouldn’t they feel annoyed and wouldn’t they take such measures as they could to offset it if someone should come in to skim the cream of any trade in which they were by long custom fully entrenched? When the Cunard line places the CARONIA during the winter months in the run be- tween New York and Havana it is doing exactly this. Everyone knows that there are no legal re- strictions to bar the CARONIA from this trade. Cuba is an independent nation and our coastwise laws do not of course apply. But is the move of the Cunard line fair? Is it something they would welcome having done to them were the positions reversed? Is it good sportsmanship to poach on the other fellow’s territory even though that territory be his only through custom and usage and not by any legal right? Has the Cunard line received communications from any disgruntled travelers complaining of the inadequacy of the service offered by American lines in this run? Has it been urged to improve the service by adding one of the transatlantic liners? Is the Cunard line moved by the idea of improving a poor service or is the Cunard line, being very shipping wise and shipping minded, expecting to reap quick and substantial profits? Isn’t it in fact the anticipation of profits rather than any idea of service that is responsible for placing the CARONIA in this run? Let us see what sort of service the Americans are providing. In the first place there is the Ward line which has served Cuba in hard times and good, in summer and winter, year in and year out for more years than have passed since the Spanish- American war. And now under the provisions of the merchant marine act of 1928 it is going to be possible for this line to put into this service two fine, modern, fast, turbine electric vessels. It will of course take some time to build these ves- MARINE REVIEW—February, 1929 19