Subsidy To Cunard For "Queen, Liner Opposed

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29139, 26 February 1960, Page 22

Subsidy To Cunard For "Queen , Liner Opposed

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.)

(Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON, February 25. In an article attacking the proposed British Government’s subsidy to enable the Cunard Line to build a replacement for the two Queen liners on the Atlantic route, “The Times” shipping correspondent says it was on the ground of national pride more than anything else that the Government might be tempted to assist Cunard in what suggests “could turn out to be one of the most resounding miscalculations in the history of British passenger shipping.” Instead, the correspondent advocated the use of the P. "and O. groups two new liners, Oriana and Canberra, to operate on the Atlantic during the summer. The argument put forward in favour of the new Queens, says the correspondent, was. that for 20 years they had given Britain an undisputed leadership in the North Atlantic and to retain this leadership duplicates .must be built But it was an argument that really did. not stand up to closer analysis. For in building thr new Queens, Cunard would simply be repeating the receipe of 30 years ago—naturally brought up to date in detailed design. But in 30 years the world had changed and in few ways more than in the modes and habits of travel, the correspondent added. With the advent of air travel on a really big scale, the old concept of passenger liner service was rapidly disappearing. This was to provide regular services round the year for people who had no other way of travelling. Now airlines were taking an increasing share of the business and the shipowner was free to put his ship where people wanted to travel in it “Foundations Hard”

The correspondent contended that any prestige lost by not replacing the Queens might be regained by incorporating Britain’s Atlantic trade into a world-wide network of passenger services of unprecedented range and quality. Ip Britain, the foundations of such ' a network have already been laid. “Two magnificent liners, the Oriana and Canberra, are being built by the P. and O. group as their solution to the problem now facing Cunard. Unabie to continue in >the Australian trade with the type of liner they used before, the P. and O. designed a new class of ship. They extended their services across

the Pacific to North America and will trade their ships almost everywhere but on the Atlantic. At all times they will seek to move with peak traffic streams, travelling the world in search of trade,” he said. “It is a bold scheme that has every chance of bringing profit and prestige to Britain. But the Atlantic in summer is the world’s most important passenger route. Why exclude it from the scheme, of which it should logically be the lynchpin? The practical answer is this: because Cunard is Britain’s representative on the Atlantic and most of its ships are built for the Atlantic alone. “But it would be a grave error to perpetuate what already is beginning to look like an artificial division and a worse one to do it by means of a device the shipping industry abominates: subsidy. In North America, Cunard have a magnificent shore organisation devoted at present to selling a specific trade. Its scope should be ■widened to represent the range of British flag services operating world-wide from Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The Canberra and Oriana should complete their chain by operating on the Atlantic in summer. “This is when people are going to want ships and this is when Britain should provide them,” the correspondent said.