Page:The New Protectionism.djvu/94

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
70
THE NEW PROTECTIONISM

which might still be carried on between Germany and Great Britain, or between the Central Powers and the Alliance, into the hands of neutral countries. Holland, Sweden, and the new mercantile marine of the United States, would be the gainers. Nor would this gain to neutrals be confined to this trade between the two hostile systems. Shipowners in Germany and in Great Britain wishing to engage in the general carrying trade of the world would find the ships carrying their national flag hampered in their most profitable use by these Navigation Laws. Ships carrying neutral flags would enjoy a great advantage. They would thus be impelled to put their ships under neutral flags, and to become investors in neutral shipping companies. Germany would certainly be disposed to take this course, both in order to reap the greater profits earned under neutral flags and their greater "freedom of the sea," and to secure immunity from capture in the event of another war.

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.