NEW TRAINING SHIP

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 197, 14 May 1908, Page 7

NEW TRAINING SHIP

ONION COMPANY'S PROPOSAL. . SIR: JAMES MILLS CONFIRMS THE REPORT. • DARTFORD A: FINE VESSEL.' ; It was. stated in The Dominion yesterday that the Union Company ' had of late experienced; somo difficulty in obtaining' junior officer's 1 ,. and. a rumour was afloat that tho Company intended to go in for a training ship of . its own for tho purpose, of. training a certain number of cadets as officers in the mercantile marine. The report went on to qay that about threo months ago the Union Company purchased in Sydney the British full-rigged ship Darfcford, an iron vessel of 1327 .tons, gross register, built at .Sunderland ,in 1877) and that tho Dartford is destined to bo employed by tho Company as a . training ship. It is understood that a certain number of lads will be carried on the ship: as/apprentices or cadets, and: will be ■■Specially trained to fit them to becomo com-- ; potent the idea being; of course, that,'after passing tho Board of Trado examination, they. will-;;bo drafted '•■ into tho ■Company's, steamers; ■ The vessel will be employed in trading between Australia ,and Now. Zealand, bringing coal from Ncwcastlo •tojtho-Dominion, and' returning to Sydney ■ or Melbourne with timber; or other cargo, with tho , object of " making her "pay her. way-.". ..'.■■ ;■ The arrival,in Wellington from Sydney of Siri- Jamos : Mills, managing director of the Union Company, on tho day of tho publica- . . tion of tho above report, was opportune and . ho was seen yesterday m that connection. After: . perusing' : the j report -. from The Dominion Sir James said that he did hot . have anything to add to what had been stated <' , "Thon tho report is correct?" "Yes, it seems to bo alKthere. We havo bought, the Dartford for. a'training ship." "Is tho vessel still in Sydney?", ■■■"■"Yes,,"and a finevessel she is." ./''What is''.the intention regarding the , you intend to cateh them .young jvhen ihoy or college?" : : ' , "Oh, wo haven't gone into details: jot— not that far. I-have boen so busy lately that I haven't had time to go into anything yet. ...I . only, arrived, from. .Sydney this morning." . • . ;.- ■ . i.v.'Aro- any further steps in regard to tho . Patent Slip matter likely to be taken whilo you are in Wellington this time?" "I don't think so. I am- , going South to-morrow evening.". (.EXPERT OPINIONS.

. A.CHORUS OF APPROVAL. • > .Several authorities on marine,matters were asked by ' a Domioton reporter to state their .iyiewsjori'tho.itraininß -ship,idea.: : .- . : Captain Johnson, !the Wellington Harbour- • -. inosterji said i that a period of i training on a sailing/vessel would be of very great value ■to ..a.ny/,oflicer, ,onva : atoamer. In .case of a breakdown,; such as had happened lin his own experience, and /might happen on any i .■■ steamship, tho fully-trained officer would be "-all,<the'/better.-; ablo to bring his vessel, to -port>by>sailing her. , Even-under ordinary circumstances an officer, would find the train-, ing gained on a ■ sailing vessel of• usoin. his , daily, work..- He,would-be, able, ,for instance, ,-;toj make allowanccs.-'for' leen-ay- much .more, . -~ rdadily,.. and cacourately^froin': tho-, constant ~ praotiiie hoihad-had.- l iCaptiiirii Johnson men-, • shipowners 1 had' met;in conference at' Liverpool, and, : after discussing: the shortage ; of ■ - competent . marine officers,'.vhadr/agreed .that the-only .practicable remedy was thoprowj- ■ fsion of full-rigged sailing ships, for-the pur-: v • poses, pf training. '•■ i , : - SOME. CAUSES OF THE SHORTAGE'. Captiin Blackburne, Nautical Adviser to : the: Govomment,'pointed to othericauses of v.the , shortage-of competent marine/officers.' 'He .'stated salaries , and prospects' . of officers were not g^neri'ly-, sucn vas, io induce good .men to.-:go/in for the- career;! If: a:.man got.-a good command,.Jie all right, as long: as no accident occurred, but the .best of men .might make la" mistake, afloat or ; ashore, and a mistake at sea ! was liable to cut. short a man's career ,and leavo him ■/: to seek 'soma other position "in .which , the'; lack of a business' l training .would place'him .... at a great disadvantage., At present an A.B. often earned more, including overtime, than a second mate, a good deal of , .extra work .without extra:, pay. The shortage of.officers locally appoarod to be chiefly . -in .connection .with second matei ; ■ Tho Union .. Company's .officers wero' generally.'very good ■ men, ■ and. he. thought they. were l usually ■ ex-, peotcd to hold a. foreign-going certificatej An ofliwr was decidedly' better -for . having i had/experience. on a. sailing vessol;" ho was . .likely..-.to be moro competent;all' round, and . more resourceiul. ' . . ' i ■ . /.Incidentally, .Captain Blackburne ,said that . ""before ho./camo/ out.'.,'to New Zealand, .some ' ;.- eight 'years ago, there were;,in England, more men .with' officers' certificates than there were ..: billet's for,.them,.but tho circumstances had ; changed;, and there was now a shortage of . ofDoersi i.. One reason was.the great reduction in-'the number of sailing-ship. ' The'old sail-, ' :; ing lines,; - which ;: undoubtedly provided the -.'best-field for'.acciuiring, seamanship, had almost disappoarea. Another, cause of the ; tlie -refusal, of, some companies ■ .to carry; apprentices of. late years. '".-This was / 'attributed, to tho' trouble which 'the appreii-. • tioes.gave lyith,their lively;behaviour-in port., . A LESSON FRQM EXPERIENCE^ ■ - ! . Captain G. G. Smith, Superintendent' of . Mercantile Marine, strongly expressed tho view-that oxporienco on a st-eamor would not, make a man a sailor. In case of a breakdown' en-a'steamer, when it.was practically not a steamer any longer, there,were many things which -a fully-qualified officer, sail and steam, oouldfdo, 'but which another, man -would not think of. Captain-Smith recalled tho time ' 16 years ago, when he was chief officer on. the - Union-Company's Rotokino, undor Captain; : Spinks. -Tlio'llotokino's steam gear broke dovrn on a trip to Sydney, but,-as sho was rigged with fore-yard,- topsail-yard, and top-gallant-yard, and her officers, who wero pric- '"' seamen, rigged up extra sails, sho made 75 miles a day, and came within sight of Sydney Heads under sail, before -they were ■ picked up; ■' The young fellows now coming on as officers had certificates for steam only. The proposed training ship would be an excellent idea. One-' advantago would bo that New Zealand yoiiths would be ablo to get an all round training for a career as ship's offioers. ' without taking long voyages all over tho world. ' - - • A PAYING PROPOSITION. ,' "This training 'would bo useful to a steamship officer,_ in his daily -work," continued Captain . Smith,'"as .well, as in emergencies. You can tell in a very short time, by tho way n man* moves about a ship, whether ho is a • steamboat man only, or a sailing ship man as ■well. Another tiling is that tho sailing ship man is more thrifty and more careful in regard to tho ship's gear, tho rations, and nli tho. property_ on board. He has been accus- ' tomed to sail with everything, cut down to the lowest, possible quantities, and to mako it last. Economy, therefore, becomes a habit . with'-him. In ..many ways' I.' think it would pay a .big steamship compajiy to have a 'sailing ship for training its officers'.".