Another very serious result of a geographi-' cal order is the transfer of the European mari time trade from the Mediterranean, which was the great traffic centre at the end of the 18th' century, to the North Sea, where to-day most of the merchandise is handled. English, Ger man Dutch and Scandinavian vessels are ac cordingly near the source of the large freight traffic of Europe, and when 'making long tance voyages they have access to French parts, thereby being in a position to complete their cargoes on the outward journey or unloading' part of their goods on the return trip. French ships on the contrary only have at their disposal French freight or freight from the Mediter ranean. If French ships desire to secure a part of the large freight traffic of the North Sea they are obliged to make a trip northern waters, thus increasing their operating expenses. On first thought it might be objected that the French commercial fleet does not suffer from lack of freight, for, according to the 'figures previously quoted, France has insufficient ships to transport the mass of goods making up her whole maritime traffic. But it should be re membered that in freight matters it is not only quantity which counts, the nature of the mer chandise also plays an important role. As re gards Prance, the goods making up the exports are rarely of a very heavy character.
France does not produce a sufficient quantity of coal to satisfy her needs (40,000,000 tons as against 60,000,000 consumed); she cannot there fore follow the example of England who is able to assure freight in coal exports.* Again, France does not export vast quantities of metal lurgical, products like Germany (potash salts for instance) ; neither is she in a position to ex port a large amount of coal like Germany, who, although exporting a quantity greatly inferior to England, is nevertheless able to supply its ships with a not to be despised cargo of this combustible. Finally,. France does not possess, like the United States, the enormous export freight constituted by its grains, meat, cotton and petroleum. Exports from France generally consist of light materials which is much ap preciated by ships from the North anchoring in our ports as same serves to complete their cargoes. It will, therefore, be seen that French goods are more adaptable as cargo for foreign ships touching our shores than to French ves sels attached to their respective ports.
To these geographical and economical causes must be added reasons of an administrative nature. The regulations covering the merchant fleet are more onerous and complicated in France than in any other maritime country of Europe. The recent law of 17 April 1917 re garding the security of navigation and regulat ing the work aboard merchant ships has added to the already heavy burden laid down by former laws. Furthermore, the discipline of the crew is less well assured in France than it is in other European countries possessing a merchant fleet. For instance, the Decree of
24 March 1852 covering discipline, although modified on several occasions, is still con sidered as inadequate to meet modern condi tions and its revision was decided upon. This task was confided to the Conseil Superieur de la Navigation Maritime which, after a long and minute examination by a special commission, in which all interests were represented, has drawn up a draft defining the respective rights and duties of shipbuilders, captains and crew. Unfortunately the government responsible for the•draft in question did not insist on a Parlia mentary debate, with the consequent result that uncertainty exists regarding questions of dis cipline as the texts of the old law are severely criticised and liberties taken with them while the text of the draft has not yet been made law.
The foregoping show the difficulties handi capping the French merchant fleet at the out break of war.
But a wrong idea might be formed of the situation if account is not taken of the urgent necessity of providing cargo boats to meet the needs of French maritime traffic.
Necessity of a French Commercial Fleet for the Development of French Exportations.
— Some large countries carrying on extensive exportation trade by sea present the curious contrast that their sea trade has developed while their own shipbuilding declined. This was especially the case with the United States during the period extending from i.e., at the end of the Civil War, to recent years. In 1860 American *ships accounted for two-thirds, to be precise 66.5 per cent of the maritime transportation between the United States and foreign countries. In 1914 it only amounted to 8.6 per cent. During this time the exterior commerce of the United States increased from A milliard to 21 milliard francs ($800,000,000 to $4,2(l0,000,000). This anomaly is explained by the fact that of the 11 milliard francs, ($2,200,000,000) representing almost the whole of the American merchandise exported in 1912, about 5 milliard ($1,000,000,000) of these goods enjoyed a sort of monopoly, that is to say, that this merchandise was unable to be produced in any quantity in the countries sending their ships to America to procure it. The goods were: France is naturally not in a similar position. She has neither the abundant resources of new countries possessing an excess of agricultural products and supplying them to densely popu lated countries, nor any of these products of which a capricious nature has given a sort of monopoly in certain regions. Consequently, most of the goods exported by France are similar to 'those exported by other countries whose ships accordingly compete with our own in home ports, particularly England and Germany.