"CABIN CLASS"

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 78, 1 April 1936, Page 4

"CABIN CLASS"

Mil ATLANTIC LINERS

WHAT: IT INVOLVES

Superliners and other "queens of the sea".became cabin steamships recently by order of the, Atlantic Conference, thus raising, a flood "tide of inquiry, from all who.travel the ocean ferry or hope to" do-so, . writes John W. Harrington in the "New York Times." The announcement involved < changes in.' ratings, .fares, and accommodations, and areclassification of passenger vessels plying between Ihis country and Europe. '"' ;. ■. 7 ;V.: . ' -.. Back,of this extraordinary"change in marine transportation stands one of the .most jar-reaching. .organisations of modern times—the;,: Atlantic Conference. It ;is a voluntary association of seventeen of the leading passenger steamship lines; its main function is to determine what is fair competition. Its offices are in Brussels. The organisation is also called the North Atlantic Conference to distinguish it from the Mediterranean Conference. .".«.' Affiliated with the A.C. is the Transatlantic Passenger, Conference in New York.: This is composed of local representatives of "the A.C, lines, who enforce, the rules laid down by the larger organisation."": ■'• ■ ■"■■■■ The North Atlantic Conference has existed for .about'half: a century. It determines- minimum rates,' authorises ticket agencies, and sees that none of the member lines makes extravagant claims regarding its vessels or facilities. For instance, a member company is not permitted to assert, either verbally yon in printed advertisements, that its- ves-. s'els are "the best afloat." Only statements of fact are countenanced, SPEED CLAIMS CHECKED. A line may declare that it has the speediest ship in the world, but it must be in a position* to prove it. If its vessel is beaten by another, the claim must be withdrawn at once. It is an actual fact, for example, that such and. such a craft is the longest or largest,' for that can be substantiated by official survey. But it is.a matter of opinion as to which vessels serve the best food. The conference rules and what might be called its tacitly understood constitution prescribe that there shall be no debatable representations. The designation "cabin ship," essentially a one-class ship,,is a relatively new one. It came into use when some of the older transatlantic liners met sharp competition from faster and more up-to-date vessels built after the war. The post-war restriction of immigration reduced travel; many of the west-bound ships came to New York with their steerage accommodations empty. The cabin ship solved part of the problem, for it attracted men and women., of moderate % means—college professors, students,' 'arid, the: like— who could not afford to travel on the luxury liners. The cabin ship grew in popularity because it gave first-class accommodations. Those who did not care to travel second-class on a luxury liner found that the cabin ship filled their needs, even though it was a slower vessel.' Some of the cabin: ships, in fact, cut heavily into the business of the luxury vessels. Gradually the cabin-ship fleet grew until it reached large proportions; indeed, vessels were built especially for the so-called cabintrade. ..;•. .:; ■.. CLASSIFICATION DISPUTE. ■-_'sKfteii''-^the'i":.]CJnlted' States" Lines brought 'ouifthe'MarihaTtari' and"" the Washington a'n'd'hach them'put in thecabin class'an iksue .wasliaised.;: ItVyas asserted that these -liners! were actually deluxe ships;and should have been so designated:; " " '" ' ■'■ The issue, long debated in shipping circles, came to a head when the Cunard-White Star Line asked the North Atlantic Conference to place its superliner Queen Mary in the cabin class. The request led to controversy.It.was pointed out that if the: Queen Mary became a cabin ship her winter minimum fare would-be £52 as against £54 on ships of first-class, designation".. There, was sharp objection, in the conference and the ; Cunard-White Star threatened to withdraw.' 'Finally, the conference voted to" dd away with the first-class liner and designated all as cabin ships. Now! there' will be three classes of passenger accommodation—cabin (t^e,main class), tourist, and third'class.-.,■:.; ■"" . ,•■ In the regrouping ot the vessels, to meet the new ;\ situation, certain' formulas'were' established for the guidance of the steamship lines. The factors involved in the process of reclassification were newness, size, and speed. It was recognised that a modern vessel, with all the latest equipment, was entitled to higher rating and fares than one fifteen or

twenty years old. Thus the French liner Norrriandie; which went into service last year, and the Queen Mary naturally fall into Group I. In size the two giant vessels are close to a parity. The Queen Mary rate, under the final classification, has .been increased from £52 to £53, and the Normandie rate has been dropped from 270 dollars to 268 dollars. The Normandie has made as high as 30.31 knots and the eastward crossing in 4 days 3 hours and 28 minutes. The Queen Mary, competing-as a four-day boat, is expected to vie for the speed laurels of the Atlantic. ; Group II will include the Hapag Lloyd liners Bremen and Europa, both fast and luxurious. Their minimum fares are listed at £47. In the third group is the Empress of Britain of the Canadian Pacific Line; in the fourth, the He de France; in the fifth,' the Majestic and the Berengaria. These groups, respectively, quote £45, £44, and £42. In the Canadian services the Empress of Britain will quote the rate for the fifth group. The Aqi\tania and the Leviathan (now laid up) have a basic rate of £41; the Paris and Columbus, a rate of £37. The Manhattan and the Washington, and the Champlain, are in.the eighth group, and are rated at £34. Altogether there are twelve categories, the twelfth classification including five Canadian Pacific liners—four Duchess ships and the Empress of Australia— the Swedish-American liner Kungsholm and the Hamburg-American liner Reliance. Their basic rate is £30. The Italian liners Vulcania, Saturnia, Rex, and Cpnte di Savoia have retained their status as first-class ships. The Vulcania and Saturnia are in the Atlantic Conference; the others are not. Aside from the controlling factors of newness, size, and speed on which the conference has based the minimum rates, .there are other considerations which the various lines have had to take into account in adjusting the above-minimum accommodations of their ships. These include the size and location. of the various cabins or suites, the modernity of their'furnishings, and the convenience of their bath facilities. Factors ... which, the individual passenger still will have to take into account in choosing his ship among the various categories are the comparative excellence of cuisine and service and the decoration of the public salons. MANY QUALIFY. In luxury of appointments, in comforts and conveniences, there are many liners which qualify .as first rate. The larger • ships, of course, are able to furnish more extensive facilities, such as spacious amusement halls, theatres, ballrooms, swimming pools, gymnasia, and areas for deck sports. The cabins of the newer liners are furnished like rooms in a first-class hotel. They have beds, not bunks, and are provided with bathrooms and showers. On some of the older liners staterooms have' been altered and enlarged to provide more commodious sleeping quarters. Under the new cabins classification, cabin, passengers, whether their sleeps ing quarters be on D deck or on the promenade deck, will have access to all the public quarters in their class. In this there is no change. The tourist class will have its own saloons, lounges, and dining-room as heretofore, and separate accommodations will continue to be provided for the third class. The existing rule of not giving tourist' and third-class , passengers the "run of the ship" will be maintained on the Queen Mary, and other vessels of her class. ;, . • • Representatives of the' companies concerned say that the rearrangement will be: of benefit both to the travelling public and to the steamship interests. The oceangoer" may miss -having "first-class" -labels, on his luggage, .but it is maintained that he will get exactly what he is.paying for. Before the .agreement was reached the steamship ■ industry ■ faced the possibility •of a disastrous transatlantic passenger rate war. That has now been eliminated. Rates are stabilised and each line can proceed to book business in the knowledge that there can be -ho rate cutting. Passenger agents look forward to, a greater volume of business as a consequence of the new policy.