Steers Afloat: The North Atlantic Meat Trade, Liner Predominance, and Freight Rates, 1870–1913
Meat transformed North Atlantic shipping, leading to dominance of liners and changed the economics of freight rates. Management coordination of meat shipment led to concentration in shipping. Only liner companies could provide specialized ships with the regularity needed and they dominated North Atl...
| Published in: | The Journal of Economic History |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
2008
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022050708000806 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022050708000806 |
| Summary: | Meat transformed North Atlantic shipping, leading to dominance of liners and changed the economics of freight rates. Management coordination of meat shipment led to concentration in shipping. Only liner companies could provide specialized ships with the regularity needed and they dominated North Atlantic shipping. The cargo capacity of cattle ships, beyond that used for animals, lowered freight rates on grain below levels that would otherwise have prevailed. The berth rate on wheat from New York to Liverpool was most affected. Consequently, this readily available freight rate can be potentially misleading as an indicator of ocean shipping developments. |
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