Conference Lines

Press, 15 February 1982, Page 51

Conference Lines

In 1881. the Government offered a subsidy of £20,000 a year for the establishment of a service of refrigerated 50-day boats, but the inducement was too slight to attract shipowners. The first shipment of refrigerated meat from New Zealand was made on the Dunedin, a sailing ship of the Albion Line. The Albion Company later joined with Shaw Savill. . . < Meat was frozen on board by the Bell-Coleman cold refrigerating machine.* In 1873, the New, Zealand Shipping Company, was founded as the first New Zealand national line, by Canterbury farmers. Within a few years this line was working “in conference” with the already established lines. The second shipment of frozen meat was despatched by the New Zealand company to London on the sailing ship Mataura. By 1950, the four British Lines (A.C.T. Group* Associated Container. Transportation; S.C.N.Z. Shipping Corporationof New Zealand;

A.C.L. Overseas Containers, Ltd: and Shaw Savill) had built up a fleet of more than 100 refrigerated general conventional ships. Working in close conjunction with the Meat and Dairy Boards, the Lines were lifting some

700,000 tons of refrigerated cargo and 500,000 tons of general cargo from 12 ports in New Zealand to more than 100 round the world. As a result of developing new trade areas for New Zealand with the Far East, especially Japan and also North America, the British Lines formed the Crusader Shipping Company in 1957. Progress continued stead-

ily and both the meat and shipping industries prospered. But in the 19605, faced with rising labour costs, attempts' were made to economise on the service to Europe. The Timaru and Bluff meat-loaders were built and the streamlining of New Zealand ports continued through on into the 60s. Since this period, as with all major industries, the shipping lines have continued to seek greater efficiency and economy. Further diversification has occured in trading patterns. Today, the European Conference consists of 14 of the world s shipping companies, from 11 nationalities.