Steers Afloat: The North Atlantic Meat Trade, Liner Predominance, and Freight Rates, 1870–1913

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Economic History
Year: 2008
Volume: 68
Issue: 4
Pages: 1028-1058

Score contribution per author:

2.018 = (α=2.02 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

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.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:cup:jechis:v:68:y:2008:i:04:p:1028-1058_00
Journal Field
Economic History
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25