It was announced on Monday that a Royal Commission had
been appointed to examine the operation of- shipping " rings " and the system of deferred rebates, and to inquire whether such operation has caused injury to Imperial trade, and whether any remedial legislative action is possible. The Com- mission is a very strong body, and contains among its members Mr. Arthur Cohen, K.C. (chairman) ; Sir David Barbour, repre- senting India ; Mr. Henry Birchenough, representing South Africa; Captain Muirhead Collins, representing Australia; Mr. Pember Reeves, representing New Zealand; Sir Hugh Bell, Sir Alfred Bateman, Sir Francis Hopwood, Lord Inverclyde, Lord Jersey, and Mr. F. Maddison, M.P. The subject is one on which much has been spoken and written, and on which very little is accurately known. In all industries a certain amount of combination is necessary and desirable, and Providence is on the side of the bigger battalions. But there may come a point where a combination becomes a monopoly, and in the public interest—for shipping is in a very special degree a public interest—that monopoly must be restrained. The Commission will do inestimable service if it sets forth clearly the truth of the matter.
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