The Cunard group, under the chairmanship of Sir Thomas Royden, includes the various North Atlantic and Mediterranean services of the Cunard Line itself, the American-Levant Line (under the management of Messrs. S. and J. Thompson) the Anchor Line which runs on the North Atlantic and Indian serv ices and which includes the old Donaldson Canadian service, the Brocklebank and Well Lines, and the Commonwealth and Do minion Line of big cargo liners which is interested in the Austra lian, New Zealand and South African trades as well as the American.
The Ellerman group, controlled by Sir John Ellerman, includes the Ellerman Line itself and the Bucknall, City, Papayanni, Hall and Wilson Lines, and Messrs. Westcott & Laurance. Its ac tivities extend all over the globe, either by itself or in conjunction with other concerns and like the Furness Withy group has a very complicated organisation which constantly changes.
The Canadian Pacific Company has absorbed important con cerns, such as the Elder Dempster company's Beaver service and the Allan Line, but they have completely lost their identity. In addition to numerous services on the rivers, lakes and coasts of Canada it has both Transatlantic and Transpacific interests. To gether with the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand (Inchcape group) it maintains the Canadian-Australian Line be tween Vancouver and Australia, alternative to the Suez route.
The Alfred Holt group, almost invariably known as the "Blue Funnel" from the characteristic appearance of its ships, consists principally of the Ocean and China Mutual Companies, with close connections with certain local companies in the East and shipbuilding concerns at home. Its ships are most familiar in the Oriental, East Indian, North Pacific, South African and Aus tralian ports. The firm was one of the pioneers in fast cargo ton nage and still makes it one of the principal features of its policy.
The International Mercantile Marine has of recent years be come more and more United States in character, although many of its ships still fly European flags. It was a combine formed by the late J. Pierpont Morgan in 1902 and its sale to the Kylsant group of the White Star Line did not break up the combine, although it took away the Shaw Savill and Albion and Aberdeen interests. There still remain the Leyland Line under the Brit ish flag, the Atlantic Transport Line, partly British and partly American, the Holland America Line and the Red Star Line on the North Atlantic and the Panama-Pacific Line and the Inter national Mercantile Marine Corporation on the intercoastal trade.
(F. C. Bo.) The United States.—United States shipping may be divided into two broad groups : (I) domestic, including coastwise, inter coastal and Great Lakes shipping, and (2) foreign trade shipping. In the two groups there is a total of about 13,000,000 tons, and this is divided about equally.
In the domestic group some of the important companies en gaged in shipping are the Panama Pacific Line, an International Mercantile Marine Company subsidiary; the Luckenbach Line; the Williams Line; the Munson-McCormick Line ; and the Ar gonaut and Calmar Lines. The Atlantic, Gulf and West Indies Lines, commonly called the AGWI group, composed of the Clyde, Mallory, Ward and a few smaller concerns, is engaged partially in the domestic trade along the Atlantic Coast and partially in the foreign trade through its services to the West Indies and Central America.
In the foreign trade group, distinction may be made between privately owned lines and government owned lines. Through the Merchant Marine Act of 192o the United States Shipping Board established 35 lines, five of which were passenger services, from American ports to the various ports of the world having commerce with the United States. There are no United States flag lines operated between two ports foreign to the United States. Sixteen of the lines established have been sold and are now operated privately by United States firms.
Among the larger American shipping concerns is the Dollar Steamship Line which operates passenger and cargo ships across the Pacific and also operates a fleet of seven passenger-cargo vessels in a round-the-world service. The bulk of the Dollar ships were purchased from the government. The Munson Steamship Line is the principal United States concern operating vessels from New York to the east coast of South America, while the Grace Line operates lines from both Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States to the west coast of South America. These two services carry both passengers and cargoes.