Canadian Atlantic Freight Secretariat, papers from McDiarmid Greenshields & Co, shipping agents and conference secretary

The Canadian Atlantic Freight Secretariat was established in 1907 to control freight rates on cargo liner services between Canada and the United Kingdom. The first formal conference had been held in 1875 to regulate the freight rates of the Calcutta trade and the practice was extended to include other liner trades. This conference was based in Liverpool until its closure in 1985. Greenshields, Cowie & Co. (later McDiarmid Greenshields & Co., of 5 Seaton Buildings, 17 Water Street, Liverpool) a shipowning and brokerage firm acted as secretary to the various shipping conferences referred to in the collection. The collection includes minutes of meetings, tariffs for various cargoes, as well as letters and other papers. Whilst the bulk of this material refers to the U.K. - North American route, papers, tariffs and other documents refer to shipping lines sailing to the Near and Far East, as well as Africa and the Mediterranean ports. For further details see the attached catalogue or contact The Archives Centre for a copy of the catalogue. The collection is stored offsite and will be recalled upon request. Please contact The Archives Centre with details of the items you wish to consult and to arrange a visit to the Searchroom.