SHIPPING LINES AND GROUPS. The tendency for a large number of comparatively small shipowning firms to spring up during a period of prosperity and to collect into groups in the ensuing depression has long been one of the regular cycles of the shipping business. Since the latter part of the 19th century there has also been a general and increasing practice of combining big successful lines into huge groups.
The group which took its name from Lord Kylsant (Sir Owen Philipps) centres round the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., which maintains services to South America, the West Indies and north Pacific. Numerous well known lines are associated with it. The Aberdeen Line runs to Australia and in 1928 absorbed the Aus tralian State shipping service (Australian Commonwealth Line). The Shaw Savill and Albion Co. covers New Zealand, Elder Demp ster and Co. (African S.S. Co., British and African S.N. Co., Elder Line and Imperial Direct Line) are principally concerned in the west African trade. On the various South American trades, in addition to the parent R.M.S.P., are the Lamport and Holt, Nel son and Pacific S.N. Lines, while the group is also interested in the Mihanovitch fleet of river steamers on the Plate. The King Line covers the general cargo trade ; MacAndrews (including John Hall Jr. and Company) the Iberian business; the Glen and Shire Lines the Far East; the Moss S.S. Company the Mediterranean; the Union Castle Line East and South Africa ; and Bullard King and Co. S. Africa and India. The White Star Line, purchased from the International Mercantile Marine in 1927 and bringing with it Aberdeen and Shaw Savill businesses, was in Jan. 1934 amalga mated with the Cunard Company (see below). Numerous coastal, Irish Sea and Continental services are maintained by the Coast Lines (several small companies merged) and J. and P. Hutch inson. Among the group's interests outside shipping are Harland and Wolff and A. McMillan and Son the shipbuilders, and the London Maritime Investment Company.
The second 'big group is the Inchcape, at the head of which in 1928 was Lord Inchcape. The Peninsular and Oriental and British India Lines are the predominant partners, their interests being joined in 1914. Both are interested in the Indian, Eastern and
Australian trades, the British India maintaining East African services in addition. The other companies connected with it in clude the P. and 0. Branch Line (formerly Lund's Blue Anchor) and the Orient Line, both to Australia. The New Zealand Shipping Company, Federal Line, James Nourse, Hain Line, Union S.S. Company of New Zealand, Australasian United Line, General Steam Navigation Company, Khedivial Mail Line, Burns Philp and Company, the Eastern and Australian Line and Euphrates and Tigris S.N. Company are all closely connected. Nearly all these companies confine themselves to regular services but the General S.N. Company is largely employed on the coasting and continental trades and the Hain Line steamers are chartered all over the world. The group is also interested in shipbuilding on the Thames and Clyde and also in the English Channel.
The Furness VVithy group was in 1928 under the control of Sir Frederick W. Lewis. It includes a large number of minor compan ies for agency purposes and otherwise, but also a number of im portant regular lines. In addition to Furness Withy and Company itself, running principally to Canada and the United States, there is the British and Argentine S.N. Company, the British Empire Steam Navigation Company, the British Transoceanic Line, the Furness-Houlder-Argentine Line, the Gulf Line, the Prince Line, the Johnston Line, the Neptune Line, the Rio Cape Line, the War ren Line, Manchester Liners, Messrs. Harris and Dixon, Houlder Bros. and Company, Norfolk and North American Steam Shipping Company, Bermuda and West Indies Steamship Company and the Danube S.N. Company. The group also controls the manage ment of the Cairn Line to Canada. The organisation of the group is extremely complicated and units are constantly being transferred from one section to another. From being originally interested almost entirely in the North Atlantic trade, Furness Withy's activities extend nearly all over the globe and the firm possesses some of the finest cargo tonnage afloat. In addition to these shipowning concerns it has an interest in the British Maritime Trust, the Economic Insurance Company, the Queens town Dry Dock Company, and the Blythswood Shipbuilding Company.