STEAM SERVICE

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 119, 21 May 1914, Page 8

STEAM SERVICE

| NORDDEUTSCHER-LLOYD CO. NEW ZEALAND TRADE. (Dy Telegraph.— Pre*!? Association.*— Copyright.) (Received May 21, 11 a.m.) LONDON, 20th May. According to the Shipbuilding and Shipping Record, at the Kaiser's instance Hcrr yon Bethmanu-Hollweg, the' Chancellor, secured a promise from leading members of the Reichstag to grant half a million to the Norddeutscher-Lloyd Company's Australian service. , The company proposes to extend the service to New Zealand, and is arranging with a New Zealand steamship company for a joint fortnightly service. Local enquiries made on the strength of the above cable went to show that it was probable that some arrangement had been come to by which the Noith German Lloyd Company would combine in a service to New Zealand staited by the Deutsch-Australische Datnpschiffs Gesellschaft, which is already well established in the Australian trade, and is npw entering in the New Zealand trade with the steamer Linden (on her way out with a cargo of superphosphates). To meet this contingency, rates on superphosphates from the United Kingdom by the British direct steamers have already been "cut." It is not known whether the German steamers, which are now apparently coming regularly to New Zealand in future, will take "back" cargo, and if so, what cargo they are likely to pick up in Wellington. In the wool export season there is, of course, a large quantity of freight for the Continent to be obtained, but this "continental" wool has hitherto found its way to the ports in British vessels. The German steamers which come to New Zealand will probably rely upon Australia as at present for back freight. There does not appear to be any prospect of the North German Lloyd Company coming to any working arrangement with any line trading to New Zealand under the British flag. At any rate, no information of such an arrangement is available in Wellington. / The German- Australian Steamship Company has decided to add four more vessels to the fleet trading to Australia from the Continent, and advices received in Sydney recently state that orders for their construction have been placed' in German yards. The four vessels are to be of similar class to those already running— -large, high-class, fast carriers— but somewhat smaller than the Tasmania, Sumatra, Java class recently introduced. Two will be of about, 5000 tons gross register, and 3800 horse-power, , and others will be about 8000 tons larger, and 4000 horse-power. * No names have been selected. These four vessels are exclusive of the Ulm, Hoff, Gera, and Freinburg, whiJli are now approaching completion in the builders' yards, and will bring the company's fleeU up to fifty-nine vessels, of 302,617 tons gross register.