PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 575 
The trade from and to ports in the British Empire amounted to 45 per 
cent. of the grand total dead-weight freight ; and ships carrying the British 
flag—excluding Canadian vessels—carried about 56 per cent. of the grand 
total dead-weight and nearly 30 per cent. of the measurement goods. In- 
cluding Canadian vessels, the British Empire can claim possession of 674 
per cent. of the total dead-weight trade and 824 per cent. of the measure- 
ment goods. The average tonnage per ship for the British was about 1,700 
tons; for the Canadian vessels less than 300 tons; for the foreign ships a 
little more than 900 tons. 
It may be interesting to add a few figures showing the magnitude of 
the coasting trade of the Dominion. In 1908 there arrived and departed 
104,527 steamers aggregating nearly 42,857,000 tons, and 50,710 sailing 
ships aggregating 7,673,000 tons. The sailing ships included nearly 50,200 
small schooners, sloops, barges, canal boats, &c., averaging about 150 tons 
each. The grand totals fur the coasting trade were 155,237 ships of 
50,530,000 tons, and of these 151,873 ships of 47,356,000 tons were classed 
as British in the official returns. It will be obvious that great importance 
must attach to every detail of the business involved in carrying on a ship- 
ping trade of the magnitude indicated by the foregoing figures, and still 
more is this the case in regard to the immensely greater transactions of 
British shipping considered as a whole. No pains must be spared in 
promoting economy or improving procedure, and even minute savings on 
particular items must be secured, since their aggregate effect may be of vast 
amount. 
Since the introduction of iron for the structures of ships and of steam 
as the propelling power marvellous economies have been effected in the cost 
of over-sea transport. The chief causes contributing to this result have 
been (1) improvements in steam machinery, leading to great reductions in 
coal consumption, (2) considerable enlargement in the dimensions of ships, 
and (3) the supersession of iron by steel for structures and machinery. It 
is unnecessary, and would be impossible on this occasion, to deal in any 
detail with these matters, which have been illustrated repeatedly by many 
writers, including the speaker. On the other hand, it would be improper 
to leave altogether without illustration the remarkably low cost of sea 
transport under existing conditions, since it has great influence on the 
commerce of the British Empire and of the world. 
Rates of freight, of course, vary greatly as the conditions of trade and 
the stress of competition change. At the present time these conditions 
remain unfavourable, although it may be hoped that there are signs of 
improvement, after long and severe depression. It will be preferable, there- 
fore, to give facts for more normal circumstances, such as prevailed five or 
six years ago. Coal was then carried from the Tyne to London (315 miles) 
for 3s. dd. a ton; to Genoa (2,388 miles) for 5s. a ton; to Bombay 
(6,358 miles) for 8s. 6d. a ton, including Suez Canal dues. The correspond- 
ing rates of freight were .111, .025, and .016 of a penny per ton-mile. 
Grain was brought across the Atlantic for 9d. per quarter in large cargo 
steamers, whereas in former times, when it was carried in small vessels, the 
charge was 9s. 6d. Goods were carried 6,400 miles eastward vid the Suez 
Canal in tramp steamers at an inclusive charge of 25s. to 30s. a ton, the 
freight rate averaging about .05 of a penny per ton-mile. It was estimated 
at that time that the average railway rate per ton-mile in Great Britain 
for cost of transport and delivery of goods was about thirty times as great ; 
but the moderate distances travelled, local and national taxation, high 
terminal charges, and the immense outlay involved in the construction, 
_equipment, and maintenance of railways account for much of the great 
difference in cost of transport. The ocean furnishes a free highway for 
the commerce of the world. 
Economy of fuel-consumption has played a great part in the reduction 
