CO885-(16-18) — Page 614

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RECORD OFFICE

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India.

Bombay

The Ceylon Report refers to the " Pool."

The only information as to rates between India, and the Colonies is in the South Australia Report. See letter from agent of

& Co.

"Our trade with India is mostly freighted with the British India and the Archibald Currie lines, which hold the business under the deferred rebate system.

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Freights from Japan and China are controlled by two British and one Japanese Company, who work together with a combination."

East.

The reports from Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements indicate the existence of an agreement which completely controls the trade to these and the chief Chinese ports.

The most important members are the P. & O. and the N.D.L. The correspondence is dealt with through the P. & O. office.

A list of members is given in Appendix C.

That the Conference was in existence at least as early as 1884 is shown by the circular of May 10th 1889, issued by the P. & O., and mentioned in the "Mogul" case. The Conference is described in the Report of the Case (Law Reports, 21 Q.B.D. 544).

"The Conference is a syndicate of shipowners doing trade to the Far East which fixes freights to Europe." (Acting Governor, Straits Settlements.) "This Conference is a combination of British and German steamship owners, the leading partners representing the Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Company and the Norddeutscher Lloyd." (Report by the Master Attendant enclosed in above.)

The "Straits Budget," of March 3rd 1900, refers to an attempt by Messrs. Huttenbach Brothers and Company to defy the Conference by chartering their own steamers.

"The following steamship companies (see Appendix C.) have for many years past formed members into a Conference which entirely controls the European Shipping Trade." (Governor of Hong Kong.)

The Conference is repeatedly referred to in the confidential report of the Committee appointed at Hong Kong in 1896.

Australasia.

The evidence is very conflicting, but appears to point to the existence of agreements, of which, however, persons outside the Conference are usually ignorant.

Victoria and Queensland report that nothing is known of such agreements. A shipping company exists, styled "The Anglo-American Continental Shipping Association of West Australia," the rules of which are stated to be purely constitutional.

Reference :-

C.O.

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17 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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The Commissioner for the Niger Coast Pro- orate reported: "There is, I am informed, an nderstanding as between Messrs. Elder, Dempster ad Company and Messrs. Woermann as to a inimum freight."

The Governor of the Gold Coast says:

"The eight charges are practically the same by each ne, and there is no known agreement in force nong these Companies.

On the other

1, he states that rival steamers are bought or ed off (see page 9).

But the Collector of Customs at Sierra Leone

"

rts: From enquiry I made, I am unable to scover that agreements exist." He ascribes the ting monopoly to the peculiar difficulties at- ling West African navigation with which only e ship-masters who have grown up in the trade grapple.

South Africa.

t is unnecessary to go into the evidence for the tence of an agreement to maintain freights and inate competition, since its apologists admit there is such a combination (e.g., see speech r. Hitchins in Natal Assembly, June 27th, 1899), e denying that it is a "Ring," or that it is imental to trade. The quibbling controversies it the meaning of the word "Ring" make it sable to use the word " Conference" in making

iries.

The following short history only embodies the cipal facts.

The Collector of Customs, Natal, in the enclosure confidential despatch of 15th February 1901, s that the Shipping Conference existed so far as 1887, the lines concerned being the Castle, n, Clan, Bucknall, Natal, and Aberdeen lines. 3 may be incorrect as regards the Bucknall

see p. 10.)

r June 5th, 1894, a motion directed against Conference was agreed to without dissentient

he Legislative Council of Cape Colony (see andix F.).

The German East African Line joined the erence in 1894.

'he Conference is referred to in Report, H.C. 37, evidence of Mr. H. H. Clarke, and C. 8,449, › Colony Report.

Correspondence took place in the Times at the of 1897 and beginning of 1898.

he President of the Board of Trade received a itation on 9th June 1899.

The Natal Collector of Customs states that the ement lapsed in June 1899. It was, however, structed, and has recently been attacked by ution in the Legislative Assembly (see Appen-

.).

t must be noted that the members of the Con-

ice strenuously deny the existence of a "Ring"

see Appendix 21, H.C. 346/97). The differentia een Ring" and Agreement" or

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are not quite clear.

45842.

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