To the Editor of the "Norm-Cama Dany News"
Sm—With reference to the remarks in your issues of November and 6, commenting on the diffidence of British owners as compared to others no. appreciation of the situa-"tion is complete unless it is understood that the basic difficulty is one of war risk insurance rates charged by underwriters on shipments by "vessels calling at Woosung, which of course does not arise in the case of lines which regularly make Shanghai "the terminal point of the voyage as far as cargo is concerned as has in most instances been the case with the Continental liners which have regularly maintained calls at Woo-"sung throughout the present hostili-"ties. Also it should not be overlooked that a considerable incentive to the latter has been the demand for passage accommodation from As regards export cargo, there have been very considerable obstacles to loading at Woosung. For some time the "neutral anchorage" was the only area officially considered safe, and that only during daylight hours, which would have involved steaming to and from that position and the sea daily, providing only a "few hours each day during which to work cargo—obviously an impractic~ "able proposition for any line mainly interested in cargo. Subsequently the Gough Island berths became safe, though for some time the area between Woosung and Gough Island was subject to shelling, and owners "were quite excusably reluctant to incur the risk involved.
Ren Ensicn.
Shanghai Nov. 6.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.