New York and Australia was on an average about 20s. per ton of 40 cubic feet From London to Australia during the same period the rate was about 42s. per ton. And this is by no means an isolated occurrence. It is needless to point out that the British paper manufacturer was so severely handicapped that Australian orders for paper always went to the United States. Even if fighting rates are inevitable for a time, it is highly undesirable that they should go on for years, to the immense detriment of the trade between Great Britain and Australia. Surely shipowners sufficiently realize the importance of inter-Imperial communication to strain every nerve to come to a better agreement in this and many similar cases.
There is one means by which, probably, British manufacturers can still both increase the output of their own factories and also assist our commercial fleet by supplying more freight for transport—namely, by taking pains to provide the exact pattern of article asked for in a colonial or foreign order, rather than the pattern of the article which they themselves consider best. It is obvious that a colonist is likely to know, and thinks he knows, most accurately what kind of plough or machinery, for example, will suit his particular soil, or crop, or mine. Many cases could be recalled where British manufacturers have lost an order, and British steamship companies the freight, through indifference of this character. The neglect causes loss to British oversea trade, and therefore indirectly weakens the importance of the commercial fleet as a means of inter-Imperial communication.
Two or three considerations regarding our commercial fleet stand out clearly from a review of its past and present history. Foremost among these is the fact that its prosperity is inextricably intertwined with that of the Empire. If its prosperity diminished, it is probable that the Empire would diminish too. Heralded or pioneered by trade corporations like the East India Company, it has risen from small beginnings to become
