The express company stands to the ocean carriers in the relation of a private shipper, having no blanket contracts with them.
7. Private carriers.—Some businesses are so large that they can profitably operate steamship lines of their own, either because their needs are special, or for refrigerator ships or oil tankers, or because of the absence of regular line service.
One of the most successful systems of private car riers is that maintained by the United Fruit Com pany. This company has a number of steamers com monly known as the "White Fleet." They are espe cially equipped for the carrying of fruit, mainly bana nas, but have accommodations for a limited number of passengers. To many parts of Central America they constitute the only, and to other parts the most reliable, passenger service. About one-half the ton nage of the Great White Fleet was, prior to the war, under British and Norwegian registry.
The United States Steel Corporation also main tains a fleet of steamers under the management of the Steel Products Company which looks after the Cor poration's foreign business. The steamers carry gen eral cargo in addition to that supplied by the company. A regular line is operated along the east coast of South America and on the Pacific Coast as far north as Vancouver. The same concern maintains a fleet of ore-steamers on the Great Lakes.
8. Tank steamers.—Large fleets of petroleum tank steamers are owned by the Standard Oil Company and by the Koniklyke Nederlandsche Petroleum Maats chappy, the powerful Dutch rival of the American concern. The English, French, Russian, and smaller American companies, such as the Texas Oil Company, also maintain private fleets of tankers.
For bulk cargos, such as coal and oil, the barge is more and more being used. The barges are towed by large sea-going tugs. An economy is effected by putting the most expensive part of the steamer, the engine, in a separate unit, the tug, which can be con stantly employed, while the cargo or barge section is being loaded and unloaded.
9. Merchant's number of large trading concerns maintain fleets of steamers with regular sail ings to ports as a rule not otherwise served by efficient line steamers. The Elder Dempster line of Liver pool and the line to South American ports maintained by W. R. Grace and Company are examples of these private companies.
The private character of these lines seems to be only temporary. They all pass sooner or later into the class of common carriers. Sonic of them, as in the case of the Elder Dempster, have in fact ceased to exist as independent companies and have been ab sorbed by the amalgamations which will be discussed in a later chapter.
10. The tramp are the real freight carriers. Most of the low-grade or bulk freight is shipped in them. They are boats of moder ate size, usually not over 7,000 tons, with a speed varying between 8 and 12 knots. It has been esti mated that of the 44,000,000 tons of shipping space in existence in the world before the war, over two thirds consisted of tramps.
The economies in the operation of tramp steamers as compared with liners are obvious. A tramp need not leave until a paying cargo has been secured and no time is lost waiting for a sailing date, once the ship is loaded. If such a cargo cannot be obtained in one port the tramp may go where it can be ob tained. The problem of a return cargo is simplified, since such vessels are seldom specialized and can carry anything that is offered.
The use of water ballast makes it possible for the vessel to leave without delay, should no suitable cargo be offered.
Sir Douglas Owen, in quoting the case of a, steamer which had been practically twice around the world on her first voyage, admirably describes tramp traffic: She left Glasgow for Philadelphia, in ballast, and no doubt under charter, and loaded oil in cases. This cargo she took to Japan, going around the Cape to save Canal dues. From Japan she proceeded to Brisbane and Australasia ; probably carrying rice under charter. From Tasmania she went to Bombay, whether in ballast or carrying cargo does not ap pear. From Bombay, possibly with a certain amount of cargo for Buenos Ayres, she proceeded to Burma and loaded cargo for the River Plate. There she discharged part of her cargo and carried the rest to Chilean ports. Thence, doubtless under charter and probably in ballast, she sailed for San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, where she loaded up, probably with flour and canned stuff, for Japan. From Japan to Java, where no doubt again under charter, she shipped a cargo of sugar for Greenock.