Shipping Line For U.S. Trade Formed

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31321, 17 March 1967, Page 3

Shipping Line For U.S. Trade Formed

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 16. A new shipping company to operate between New Zealand and the Pacific Coast ports of North America has been formed by New Zealand and American mercantile interests.

It will be called the N.Z.-Pacific Line, Ltd., and the ships will be manned by New Zealand seamen at prevailing wage scales and benefits.

The formation of the company this week was announced by Mr G. C. Kiskaddon, president of the Interocean Steam Ship Corporation of San Francisco, and general agents. He said that negotiations had started for the purchase of a specialised timber carrier for the trade. The first trip south for the ship is scheduled for May from Vancouver and Eureka to Auckland, Wellington, and Lyttelton. Mr Kiskaddon said that

agreement has been reached with the seafaring unions in New Zealam. for the full New Zealand manning at current wages and scales. He said the New ZealandPacific Line would be jointly owned by New Zealand mercantile interests and mterocean’s associated Marine Chartering Company, Inc. Group. The Interocean Steam Ship Corporation is a substantial American shipping firm, with headquarters in San Francisco.

It operates several subsidiaries including the Australasia Line, with services to Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle with the vessels Brighton and Clifford J. Rodgers. Another is the Polynesia service with calls at Coos Bay, Papeete, Pago Pago with the Graziella Zeta. Five Withdrawn

Parcel Tankers, another subsidiary, operates services from the American Pacific coast ports to Japan, Formosa and the Philippines. The establishment of the N.Z.-Pacific Line will help bridge the gap caused by the withdrawal of the Union Steamship Company from the Pacific service.

Up to five years ago the Union Line had five ships—the Waitemata, Waitomo,

Waihemo, Wairuna, and Waikawa in service—all manned by New Zealand seamen.

The Waitomo, Waikawa, and Wairuna have been progressively withdrawn during the last five years and the two remaining ships—the Waihemo and Waitemata—were wit’ ’rawn this year. The president of the New Zealand Seamen’s Union (Mr W. Martin) today said that the union had no comment at this stage as negotiations were still taking place.