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III.

MEMORANDUM IN CONNECTION WITH RESOLUTIONS AFFECTING BRITISH SHIPPING.

Memorandum

Annex

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(April 1907.)/

CONTENTS.

1. Tonnage of Vessels engaged in British Coasting Trade at two periods, viz.,

1896 and 1906, distinguishing between Foreign and British Vessels. II.-Nationality of Vessels that entered and cleared with Cargoes, in Trade between the United Kingdom and the Principal Colonies and Posses- sions in 1906.

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III.

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IV.

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Statistics of British Inter-Colonial Trade and Colonial Coasting Trades. Statistics relating to the Coasting and Colonial Trades of France, Germany,

Holland, Denmark, Portugal, and the United States respectively.

V. Tonnage of Foreign Vessels entered and cleared at Ports of the United Kingdom in the Trade with British Colonies and Possessions in 1906, grouped according to the treatment which those countries extend to British Vessels.

VI.-Statement of the Treaty or Legislative Provisions affecting the participation

of Foreign Vessels in the Consting Trade of certain Countries, and of the Treaty Right of such countries to share in the Coasting Trade of the United Kingdom.

VII.-Statement as to the Rights accorded by Treaty to Foreign Countries in

respect of the Coasting Trade in British Colonies and Possessions. [NOTE.-Annexes I. to VII, will be found at pp. 474 to 493 of [Cd. 3524].] VIII. Statement showing the extent to which existing British Commercial Treaties impose Restrictions on the accord by the Colonies of Preferences to such British Goods only as are carried in British Ships

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IX. Statement of the Treaty Provisions affecting the Participation of Foreign

Vessels in the British Inter-Imperial Trado

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1.-Practice of Foreign Countries with regard to the Shipping Trade with their over-sea and distant Possessions,

Germany and Holland do not reserve the trade with their over-sea possessions, or give any preference to national vessels engaged in such trade (other, of course, than that which is conferred by the German shipping subsidies). Denmark opens the trade between Denmark and Iceland or the Faroe Islands on condition of reciprocity.

France reserves the trade between her Atlantic and Mediterranean sea-boards, and also the trade between France and Algeria. Subject to this exception, the carrying trade between France and her over-sea Colonies is open to foreign vessels on equal terms with French vessels (except in so far as the national vessels are benefited by the French shipping subsidies).

Spain, before the virtual extinction of her Colonial Empire, admitted the produce of her Colonies at preferential rates if carried in Spanish bottoms, but did not give an absolute monopoly to the Spanish flag.

Portugal, in theory, restricts her colonial trade to national vessels; but has, in fact, by a series of laws and decrees, thrown open the greater part of this trade to foreign shipping.

Russia reserves the trade between her Baltic and her Black Sea ports, and has also reserved the trade between her European and Asiatic seaboards to national vessels since the 30th May 1902.

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The United States treats trade between her Atlantic and Pacific seaboards as coasting trade, and reserves it to national vessels. The trade with Porto Rico and with Hawaii is similarly reserved. The trade with the Philippines is to be reserved after the 11th April 1909, the date on which the Spanish- United States Treaty (by which foreign shipping is at present admitted to this trade) expires. Until that date, foreign vessels entering United States ports from the Philippines are required to pay the usual tonnage dues payable on vessels coming from foreign countries, from which United States vessels are presumably exempt; this, of course, constitutes a preference (not a monopoly) to American vessels trading from the Philippines.

connection.

Japan is the only other country with important over-sea possessions; and in her case the trading privileges of foreign vessels are restricted to the "open >>

ports, so that it seems unnecessary to discuss it further in this

The effect of the facts stated is that, of the seven principal foreign countries with over-sea possessions, four throw open the carrying trade between the Mother country and those possessions, viz., Germany, Holland, Denmark, and Portugal. The same is true of France, with the important exception of the Algerian trade. The entrances and clearances of shipping in the trade between the five countries named and their over-sea possessions amounted, in 1904, the latest year for which complete statistics are available, to 6,530,000 tons, of which 5,520,000 tons (or 84 per cent.) represent national vessels and 1,010,000 tons (or 16 per cent.) foreign vessels. Of the foreign tonnage entered and cleared in the colonial trade of the five countries which still admit British vessels, about 153,000 tons are recorded as British, and this is exclusive of British tonnage engaged in the Portuguese colonial trade, as well as that engaged in ballast in the French colonial trade, which are not separately distinguished in the statistics of those countries. The details are given in Annex IV.

The two remaining countries, viz., Russia and the United States, reserve the whole, or the greater part, of the trade between different coasts and with over-sea possessions to national vessels. The entrances and clearances of shipping in the trade between the United States and Porto Rico and Hawaii during 1899-1900 (the last year in which the trade was open to foreign shipping) were 700,000 tons, of which 590,000 were American and 110,000 foreign. In the year 1903-4, the total figure had grown to 1 million tons, in addition to 650,000 tons cleared in the trade with Alaska (for which figures for earlier years were not available). All this tonnage, of course, except an insignificant portion cleared in ballast, was national tonnage. In the trade between the United States and the Philippine-Islands, in which foreign shipping continues to be admitted for the present, the entrances and clearances amounted, in the year ended June 30th, 1904, to 107,000 tons, of which 25,000 tons were American, 71,000 tons British, and 11,000 tons shipping of other nationalities. In the trade between European and Asiatic ports of Russia, in 1901 (the last year in which foreign vessels were permitted to participate in this trade), 156,000 tons of shipping were cleared, of which 149,000 were Russian and 7,000 foreign (including 2,000 British).

2.-Practice as regards Reservation of Coasting Trade.

The coasting trade of Russia and the United States (the countries which reserve their trade with their over-sea possessions) as also that of Portugal is reserved to national ships. In the cases of Russia and the United States, the coasting trade," as has already been mentioned, includes trade between Baltic and Black Sea ports and between Atlantic and Pacific ports, respec- tively. France also reserves her coasting trade, including trade between her Atlantic and Channel ports and her ports on the Mediterranean. Spain only permits foreign vessels to engage in the carriage of certain goods from port to port along her coasts. The coasting trade of Italy is reserved by treaty, and also by Italian law; but we have an express assurance that British vessels are to be allowed to engage in this trade. Other less important countries also reserve their coasting trade.

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PUBLIC

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OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O.885

18 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

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