THE SHIPS THAT PASS

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 52, 2 March 1908, Page 3

THE SHIPS THAT PASS

LOADED WITH GOODS. "The wind that tramps the world" was once lonely in these seas, but ithas plenty of mates now. Men are alive who can remember the days when the southern ocean was just a great waste of blue, flecked at rare intervals by the white wings of a sailer, but thoso days of desolation are gone for ever. The dreary high seas have become busy highways, New Zealand tosses her butter and cheese, her meat and wool on to tlie lap of Britain, and Britain gratefully* sends back" {joods from her factories.' These things are faithfully recorded in figures. It js announced that the exports have mounted to £20,000,000, but these numerals do not adequately convey a picture of the things done to make the pounds sterling. There are the developments on land the enterprise at sea, a bustling, a hustling. A little while ago, as the world's history goes, New Zealand's fleet was nil and the exports and imports were about the same quantities. The state of affairs to-day has been told many times recently by Ministers of the Crown. THE FAITH OF SHIPPING COMPANIES. The arrival of two new powerful overseasteamers—the Kia Ora on Friday and the Nerehuna a few days ago— is sufficient excuse for a glance at the expansion of trade. MODERN STEAMERS. The fact that the various shipping companies hove faith in this young country is shown by tho building policy which they have adopted to cope with the requirements of the trade. Consequently New Zealand's oversea services are nowmaintained by modern craft, most of which are comparatively new. This is most noticeable when it is remembered that two of th© pioneer companies operating in the Homeward) trade have replaced all their old steamers by larger* and up-to-date boats, and this has been all accomplished in a short decade. Lights of other days, such as the Tainui, Arawa, Rimutaka, and Tongaiiro, with their curved 1 bows and narrow beam, no longer carry New Zealand's goods and chattels. They have been passed out as obsolete and unequal to the exigencies that the service demanded. About twenty years ago these tempest-tossed waTriors were quite content to load at London a burden of about 1500 tons to convey acroFS the seas to New Zealand. Since- thon tho colony has rapidly grown, and naturally the adult's needs are greater than the juvenile's. As a contrast, it was but a few days ago that it was reported that plenty of cargo was offering in England for transportation to New Zealand. The caterers for the carrying of this freight have anticipated the growth and development of the country, and now the steamers bring cargoes aggregating from 6000 to 8000 tons. New Zealand's trade, too, is extending in all directions, and to-day she has direct and regular services with the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada, India, South Africa, 'South America, East Pacific, and only bst week a North German Lloyd licer for the first time visited these shores with a cargo of merchandise to discharge from Germany. NEW ARRIVALS. Of the ne-y.- steamers which have bsen built to maintain the traffic to some of 1 tho justrmentioned countries the Kia Ora, which arrived on Friday, is tho latest to make ,her debut in colonial waters. Shs has been preceded by, I the Nerehuna, the Whakarua, and many qther new additions, and there are yet more to follow. The intercolonial and coastal services are correspondingly prosperous. On Wednesday next the Huddart-Parker Company will introduce to Wellington the new Ulimaroa. Ifc was in 1893 that this company extended operations to New Zealand. Ths illfated Tasmania was the inaugurating ship.: To-day they aro represented here by throe up-to-date steamers, and tho Ulimaroa will certainly promote tho standard of tho intercolonial liner. The Union Company keeps up with the mark of progress. The shipbuilders have always a steamer on the stocks of the redfunnel order. Only a few months back the maiden voyages of the Waihora, Marama, and Maori were chronicled. There are yet to come the turret steamer Koromiko, the cargo carrier Kaitangata, the large passenger steamer Mnkoura, the island trader Tofua, and the large cargo carrier Waitemata. The turret steamer, which is due shortly, will mark a new departure in cargocarrying in this part of the woild. WELLINGTON'S EXPANSION. All these new additions should certainly help to foster trade. Wellington as a port is doing much to keep abreast of tho times. It was not many years ago when the Queen's Wharf and tho old Railway Wharf comprised the berthing accommodation. A change h;r now come over the water-front, and i is a big step to-day betwen the Tar.inakistreet Wharf and tha unfinished King's Wharf, beyond which further extension is to be done. The accommodation at present amounts to over 11,000 feet. To exemplify the growth of Wellington as a port during the past quarter of a century it need only bo shown that in 1882 the arrivals of all classes of vessels amounted to 344,814 tons net; in 1907 the tonnage has swelled to 2,709,154.