TRADE WITH CANADA

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 185, 4 May 1936, Page 2

TRADE WITH CANADA

■ ■ The Present Services The sale of the ten steamers owned by Canadian National Steamships, and operating in the Canada-New ZealandAustralia trade, which was confirmed in Wellington last week, will bring this service to an end after operating for 15 years. Practically the only vessels owned now by the Canadian Government Merchant Marine are those operating two services from Canada to the West Indies, all that is left of a fleet of over 60 vessels. The present service by Canadian National Steamships consists of two sailings a month from Montreal or Halifax, according to the season, one to Auckland, Wellington and Australia, the other to Australia, Dunedin, Lyttelton, Wellington and sometimes to outports, thence back to New York. Boston and Montreal or Halifax. The vessels in the first service usually call at Auckland to load on their way back to Canada from Australia. The three companies forming the syndicate which has bought the Canadian vessels, the Commonwealth and Dpminlon Line, the New Zealand Shipping Company and the Ellerman, Bucknail Line, have all for a number of years been interested in the cargo trade from Eastern Canada or the United States to New Zealand and Australia. The New Zealand Shipping Company for many years before the war, and after the war until 1928 when it dropped out owing to the unsatisfactory state of the trade caused by the competition of the Canadian Government vessels, maintained a cargo service from Eastern Canada to New Zealand. The Ellerman and Bucknall Line operates the American and Australian Line, which maintains a fre quent service between Eastern United States ports and New Zealand and Australia, the Federal and New Zealand Shipping Companies being the New Zealand agents. The Common wealth and Dominion Line also maintains services from Eastern U.S.A, ports to New Zealand and Australia. No advico has yet been received in Wellington as to when the Canadian National steamers will cease to oper ate, and the new company take over the service.