Reported Shortage of Tonnage In comparison with the conditions prevailing during recent months, a notable change is this week reported in shipping circles. Lately the general run of freights from the Far East homewards has been very light cargoes for practically all ships, but within the past week or 10 days a demand has sprung up for tonnage from Vladvostok and Manchuria for the United Kingdom and Europe generally. Cargoes of beans, wheat and flour have come forward, and for the first time for long there is a dearth of shipping. One reason for these cargoes seems to be a large demand from the Levant for foodstuffs.
Two reasons are assigned for this present shortage of tonnage. In the first place the continuance of the British coal strike is having a paralyzing effect on European shipping, which is now being felt acutely. Over and above this, however, the seamen's strike in America has to be taken into account. Beyond the bare announcement of its occurrence the telegrams have been almost silent, but from information received from other sources it seems to be of a very great seriousness. No freight carriers, it is reported, are able to sail, and only by a special arrangement are mail and passenger steamers allowed to continue. running. It is understood that the arrangement is that whatever decision upon wages is arrived at will be considered retrospective, and only upon this understanding between the shipowners and men have the services been maintained.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.