PACIFIC TRADE.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18721, 18 June 1926, Page 15

PACIFIC TRADE.

—-$ OCEANIC LINE SOLD. (rROH OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) SAN FRANCISCO, May 18. Purchase of the Ocoanio Steamship Company of San Francisco by tho Matson Navigation Company, of the same city, has now been officially announced, the Matson Company, according to a statement issued, having acquired "tho steamers, property, and business of the Oceanic Company," and will operate the Oceanic line as at present for the time being, with no immediate changes in the schedule of the Australian line. The personnel of the Oceanic Lino will be thrown out of employment as a result of tho deal, with tho exception of Hugh Gallagher, operating manager; Herbert Thomas, traffic manager; M. J. Cropley, freight traffic manager; and Harold De Golia, of the passenger department. These four officials will go with the Line, which is to be operated under the name of the Oceanic Line, but tho headquarters will be in the Watson Building, 215 Market street, San Francisco. Fred S. Samuels, formerly assistant to the president of the Oceanic Company, at the time of writing was in Washington, whero he succeeded in having the mail contract renewed for another two years. The present contract expires on June 30th, and it is understood tho new contract calls for a slight increase over the present contract, which is three dollars—virtually 12s 6d—a mllo. The three liners of the company made seventeen round voyages between San Francisco and Australia a year. There are four ships involved in the deal—the Sierra, the Sonoma, the Ventura, and the freight motor-ship Carriso. Bi future, the Oceanio liners will dock at the Matson piers, south of tho Ferry Building. Tho Sierra, Sonoma, and Ventura operate to Australia by way of Honolulu, Pago Pago, and Suva, on a regular service of throe weeks' intervals. The Carriso maintains a triangular service from San Francisco to Portland and Columbia River ports and the Hawiian Islands, returning directly to San Francisco. "There will bo no interruption of service, said the announcement from the Matson offices, "it being tho intention of the new owners to continue the Australian service, which has been in operation for many years, and to use every effort to augment and build up the business." While no immediate changes are contemplated in tho schedule of tho Oceanic steamers, the sailings and departures will be changed later, and this will be one of the first matters to be taken up by the operating department. Ab the liners now operate, they depart from Honolulu only a few hours between the sailings of the Matson Bteamers, and they sail from San Francisco outbound with but s few hours difference. No mention was made in the Matson announcement that the company contemplated building two large passenger liners to replace two of the present steamers, as was reported in dispatches from New York the third week in May. ..,.., The amount involved in the deal v/as not made public.