The General Steam Navigation Company, c.1850-1913 : a business history /Robert Edward Forrester.

This PhD thesis details the history of The General Steam Navigation Company, a London-based shipowner operating a range of steamship liner services, mainly for passengers but also for some cargo (including cattle). The study places the company within the context of the general history of British coastal shipping and short-sea shipping. As essentially a business history, it focuses on the motivations and activities of the management and provides a detailed analysis of the company's financial and operational performance within a changing political, legal and economic framework in an era that featured both 'The Great Victorian Boom' and 'The Great Depression'. Forrester examines the role played by two key Board chairmen, J Herbert Tritton and Richard White, in the fluctuating fortunes of the company during these times, in which it experienced a near collapse and slow recovery. Sample Profit and Loss Accounts, Balance Sheets and Receipts and Costs data are provided in numerous tables and figures.