SHIPS AND SHIPBUILDING

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 185, 30 April 1908, Page 6

SHIPS AND SHIPBUILDING

—0— COLONEL DENNY INTERVIEWED. NEW ZEALAND'S EXCELLENT SERVICE. GENERAL REMARKS. ' A Scotchman of note, Colonel Denny, of Dumbarton, a momber of the large Clyde shipbuilding firm of Denny and Co., and. an ex-moniber of the House of Commons, arrived in Wellington yesterday. Colonel Denny's visit to the Dominion; is part, of a tour in the East, though it was not till ho arrived at Colombo .in March that lie decided to come to the colonies. He landed .at the Bluff from Melbourne, and with Miss Denny has been enjoying a ' few days in the, chief scenic resorts on the .way up to ,Wellington. Colonel Denny was for ten years a Conservative' member of the 'House, of Commons. - Whilo in tlio House, lie at various times said a good deal on matters aifcc'ting tho .Mercantile Marine. Ho retired from 'politics in 1905. . : Tho visitor's firm lias built the majority of the Union Company's fleet; ' Yesterday he recalled to a Domimox representative that the Rotomahana, which is pow,- com-, paratively, a small steamer, - was the. first ocean-going boat supplied, and the Lcongana, now in use ill the . Launc'eston trade; the first.' turbine-steamer : The first, vessel; the firm built for. the. Company wiis tho Hawea, in 1874. . "The'ships"in ; use in.':.;.' New .Zealand are. just about the finest - ; built," said Colonel Denny. • " The Dominion wants the best ships, and.they get , them." Shipbuilding at present was very dull, indeed. This, like most things now,;. .was attributed to the ..laid; American Crisis, Money had become, short, and , generally there was a .wr.nt o£ confidence in cominer-, cial ontern'rise. . The, tendency in shipbuilding at. the present. day, according to Colonel Denny, .is. decidedly towards .large vessels. This, was noticeable in . the development in the size- , of the New . Zealand boats. New develop-' • ments were t-?.kiri<j place' in 'construction, and the turbine was also beina largely substituted • for; the reciprocating engines, .'especially where speed was required.Turbines were not' ;extravsnant when kept at top speed, as for instance in the case of the Maori. The ■ consumption; of coal •was economical in proportion to the \ speed attained. .Turbines . were fittpd throughout the British Navy. : There was not a single'warship-in the Navy with- ~ out them. The -Maori,was a very successful boat, and was doing exceedingly well. The. turbine, however, was not an engine to .be fitted in - a slow boat. . In this connection Colonel Denny said that his 'company was ; building a new . vessel' for,' the New Zealand Shipping' Company,. which would" contain an entirely new typo of engine—the reciprocal- ' ing (the ordinary type). and turbine coni--billed. . The method on .- winch' the: engines would bo -built, wbuld j effect,- a. considerable; economy. in- fuel consumption., This boat, which would be a sister ship to,the,New Zcitland Shipping' Company's • Opawa, should ' leave for the Dominion in October. Generally speaking . the turbines were. -the -more easily worked and more economical in the labour, 'required. Touching. upon, the matter of oil as 'a!, fuel, Colonoy Denny said its, general use would cause the price to go up, and the material to become too expensive. ' The Denny Company has- just. Wit two . largo turbine steamers, the Horomaru' and tho Toro'mahi, for the Japarieso Government railways, for ferry purposes. While in Japan Coloney Denny ' saw a great-'many- ships- being built,. but lie observed 110' evidences' of component parts being imported from abroad-..; and fitted up-as has been stated. . He visited the Matsukota works at Kobe, where a num- ; ber of ships were being turned out, two, gun-boats-, for China. Ho also went on to. Nagasaki, where, his. firm: was erecting an experimental tank for the testing of working This tank was to the'iorder' of an enterprising Jifoiyicse firm. .At..these , yards orders we're for ships totaling upwards' 100,000 tons, and very little British' assistance, wiis ; 'bemg, employed.' The Japanese were now; able to profit by Britain's experience in shipbuilding. short, they were able to go on where' British builders had left offi ■ . - v .

Colonel Denny .said it was a sign of the .prosperity, of the Dominion 1 that so .many shipping companies wove operating here. In his brief visit he had > also been impressed •with' the general productiveness of the coun-. try.: : .