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Show uu GREAT BRITAIN TO CALLINHERSHIPS London, Jan. 3, 3:56 p. m. The government gov-ernment is taking stringent measures to see that the prevailing shortage of ships shall not Interfere with the shipment of food and other necessities necessi-ties to ports in the United Kingdom. Vessels are being requisitioned right and left for the shipment of wheat from the Americas, and in shipping circles it is reported that the admiralty admir-alty intends to call in the British ships that are now trading between foreign ports. The latter measure is expected to particularly affect British ships trading between South America Amer-ica and the United States. Shippers here predict that such action would have a disastrous effect on this trade. Ship owners in England and neutral neu-tral shippers regard the new-born energy en-ergy of the government with misgivings, misgiv-ings, as requisitioned wheat ships aro receiving only 13 shillings, compared with the normal rate of 17 shillings. The action of the government is considered as significant corroboration corrobora-tion of news already received by charterers char-terers that the government intends to make full use of Its undoubted power to control completely the British Brit-ish mercantile marine. The assertion of such power means the inevitable Injury of foreign traders, who depend largely on British ships for the carrying car-rying of gooas. For example, it is reported on the Baltic shipping exchange that the American coffee trade, which is largely large-ly dependent on British ships, will bo vitally injured by any considerable withdrawal of these vessels, for sufficient suf-ficient neutral ships to take their place do not exist. Other trades with South and Central Cen-tral American ports also will suffer great damage if the requisitioning plan is extended to British ships trading trad-ing between foreign ports. |
