Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The Organization of Ocean Commerce
If the world's trade were divided into two classes, on the basis of distance, it would be found that land traffic was pre eminently the Short-distance trade and that the ocean was the route used mainly by the long-distance trade. Owing to the ease of water transportation, men seek out the ocean routes for freight whenever possible, and, as from any sea all seas may be reached, the average length of water routes is several times as great as the land routes.
The ocean carrying trade is chie?y international trade, of which it comprises the most important part. The ocean is the great international highway, and, in the sense of owner ship, the only international highway. Many land routes carry commodities that cross international boundaries, but the routes, like all the valuable land in the world, are within the jurisdiction of some particular country, and, further, are the property of particular persons or groups of persons. The ocean is more international because it is the property of all, and open and free to all. No nation claims more than three miles from its coast and beyond that any man from any nation may sail his Ship where he will over the common ocean, which covers three-fourths of the surface of the globe and washes the shores of all important countries.
Besides being large and free the ocean furnishes the cheapest of all forms of transportation, and with these advantages it is natural that maritime commerce should be by far the greater element in international exchanges, as well as a very important part of many domestic trades.
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