844 REPORT ON COOPERATION IN AMERICAN EXPORT TRADE.
TasLe 29.—Comparative ocean freight rates on coal, February, 1914.

Newport News.

Cardiff.

Destination.

Rio de Janeiro. .
MOntovilen . coo cen ninensnns vane
Buenos Aires or La Plata...

Distance.}

Nautical
miles.
2,828
4,721
5,708
5, 8292

Freicht rate.l

155. 6d .cananncanes]
155. 6d. .cevmnanean
LOS enn nner
i5s.to15s.6d.....

Distance.|

Nautical
miles.
3,929
5,020
8,007
8.121

Freight rate}

13s.
13s. to 14s.
13s. to 14s.
13s. 6d. to 14s. 6d.

1The Black Diamond, Feb. 7, 1914, 111.

The foregoing statement is representative of the differentials normally
 prevailing in favor of the Welsh coal shippers. From these
figures it is apparent that before the war Cardiff enjoyed an advantage
 in freights on coal to South American ports of 85 to 60 cents
per ton. When the war drove ocean freights to exorbitant levels
these differentials in favor of British shippers became much greater.
Proximity of the Welsh mines to Mediterranean markets gives
British coal an advantage in ocean freight rates of from $1.10 to
$1.50 per ton over American coal. The comparative rates in February,
 1914, were as follows: Naples, from Cardiff 8s., from American
 ports 12s. 6d. to 13s.; Marseille, from Cardiff 7s., from American
ports 12s. to 12s 6d.; Barcelona, from Cardiff 6s. 8d., from Amerizan
 ports 12s. to 12s. 6d. The distance from Cardiff to these markets
 is less than half that from the American ports.
As already stated, the bunkering stations and coal depots all over
the world are very largely in the hands of British coal merchants, the
most important of which are affiliated with coal mine operators.
American exporters, therefore, are as dependent on these British coal
merchants for docking, storage, and distributing facilities as they
are upon British ships for transportation. For this reason, and
because the British firms have the business in hand, the American
companies which take part in the bunker trade, or which export coal,
amploy British coal firms as agents to transact this business.
A combination of British bunkering brokers by collective bargaining
 with West Virginia coal mining interests arranges the yearly
contract price of bunker coal at Hampton Roads. This is an important
 bunkering point; cotton and other cargo vessels call to fill
their bunkers with the high-grade New River and Pocahontas coals.
The owners and charterers of these vessels naturally depend on
British bunkering agents to bunker their ships, because these agents
have the organization to do such business anywhere in the world.
Similarly, the American coal operators make their sales for bunker
business through these agents.