TRANSPORTS IN WAR TIME.

Evening Star, Issue 12026, 26 October 1903, Page 7

TRANSPORTS IN WAR TIME.

tjoma htter.'irting e\ddence on the aigagmg of transports for the conveyance' of troops, etc., hi the late war was given before liis Royal Commisfdoii ou ths War hi txiuth Africa, the report of the proceedings "k which b,ts just l>eca pnhiisixed. \ir ct-cphen J. (Jrail', C.8., dir'erawr of U-A.;.sv<>rt:-;, in his evidence, .stated that tite since liiib, wdh a view to siuppi.cg a otkirsiderai)i.e miUu-iry f<;r«e oversea at thcrt noti.e, i-.ixf.:v, vvni-h ~hn* f.iii partkuixu-s o[ ad ships K,iit;»bie for tlm ejyiveyance of horses ;ind iu->:; i;.;v:i betn in books." baa&l either ou ij.'fonnat.wn obudited from owill'-s. or, viisre possible, by at;tual iu-spic!-i«.i. iJ b- depanuiHint nrat luud notice to ;uu'-:o prtp&rtljons for shipping men aJjont the begiunii.g- ot July, 1859,, and on the 7lh August, tluiy wen; told that the probable. .-.reiigth ai the force likelv to be moved to |jouih Ai net. would be. *49,000 men ami 7.DGO 'i'hey received a requisition <■ i bi-.' "iArd {""ct-tembvi" for the conveys>ee ' ' 'l,-X'ti citdert," which was jcaily the !ir>-t \-ii- ce:vi"e tb-v were asked tu etirrv <.:.-,-._

vke i\i-y wwe a.-.ktd tu cany •;■:{,. iiu iho 28th >ji>pt-snber two ship?: <.f : .':•:.' < l U<:!)XJ iti-J:-< l'Vis t.'-.i;!.ttjveiy (■•■ :,;.;.-.-! to cany troops, juk! a co-ifrliaud u\ • Vax ',,'k jcjc: n d to übout tiiny-iive kadi,;. utLing titeiri what shjee they piste u.i- -tin: (JL-:pu.«al of thv 'Goverii-i.i'.-j;t us hired ttw>j.'-siup< fin- tv»o or U.'ive nw!ii-'vi certain, aral tai tin; oOth t.-eptemlwr

L'.v;.-i.-:jf .siiip? ivf;:v oig4r«xl. .'■!:• (ixvtil .-.aid he. ri;;rtod vii-h the id-.a of Uyirg to limit the l-.ttc-. of biiv v.i 1?« 64 ;vr ton gross per r.u>iiih. but nu owiu-i----.-odd wm« wiuVr £l, idl tin? ship* having m Lv tiited ajul altered -very ta;i»L*iveJy to .■■Vmiir of rarrying; large bodies of tiv>oiw"and horf.e*. The Atlantic 'i'ran.-.pon Comply. :<? p.ud. liad sane t-xirau.-ly good cavalry ■i ran* ports to act. hold of, but the eomiwjiy transports vbir.ii tiie Dirowor of 'JY<«s*-portj« •>va.s vrfy unxiiHU, to ;-•! hold of. but thi» '.:-j;r;p:uiy v.jiuU'd <;f* p>:v ton per liionlb, lire

ovenanciit to tak- all tire lv-stwH.-ibihtv of

i-.:,y Aaierii-aii kw M.il- in which the c«mrjny Tiuglit be invoiced by tticir umm contracts, "which was, of corn*. pn>i'iib:Live. The tot.;! mujih-r of transports ompioyed sines tho of Ibe var ha.s b<.i;n 116. the avjr<k;e si/t* i.v.mg- 6.4G0 tons ;rriv:::, the rar:p> (.•* t.iz& btir;g Vnmi IiU'.GO .rent TJt. i;:>..;\ io 11 i.i.vv'.t,. 'i ht> avcti:i;>-

r; to oi hve all round w.v til?, whole period >■> -.b.» 3Cth i3i)2, lias be-en 18s cA per tin per month, the rates varying froia Jiis «p to 355. the J.v.t:\r rate bouv,» \<iul to the lii;.-h-i-n:ed vessel-, tike t;se l\hC jistic, Uirihhft,' ;-.;,;! IviiOinuau Gsstfe. or> U.e 6lst March. iS'i.KX tiv-?. nwiw.H; rat-e was 225; 011 tic 31it Dsceaiber. 1900. the rata nil ivuud was to Tin 6d; bv the 3]>c D(*crnhfT. IVi.l. >t. kid bt-en rcdnoed to 15.- srt: and ou ihe cOch Sepcejabw, 1202, it wa* 15s IM. In nil casss the owaer only paid for the prcvL'Lo.ns, ere, of th» cww. and for the results of negligence. With regard to ike engagements erf th** liaera Umbria and Majestic, ilr (>raff stated. that, in the opinion of the I'tcentor of Tnui-spoctM, these very hij.U-speeti slubs are not so satisfactory as tronp transports as V3£sc,':i or' a lower spaed ajtd of a rjwr?

roomy character, oi7iu-g to th<; difficulty of coaling, the nerjejiriiy of coaling a\; ititarniediare porte doing away witli a gt>od deal of the advantage. 01 their high speed; thev are built rp.-.eially for a ~l»oH jo-iiraey, coaling as each end. and being fsill oi costly pa.-*-e«<rer iHiings, •which lsavo to be removed to make room for the troops, the ■whole thing rums out ratlier an expensive affair. _ The Umbria was tendered as a 19knoi boat, but her average speed on her first voyage was 17.66 knots, and on her second 17 knots. They, however, approved of such boats as the Bavarian stud Eoidonan Castle, for which 20s and 35s per ton respectively was paid. The former carried 2,200 troops and 170 officers, and the latter 2,600 troops, and both took eighteen days on the first voyage. In consequence of the absence of the negligence daase ia the charters, the owners oi the Ismore, which vessel went aehore at StHeleua Bay, and lost 315 horses and a battery of artillery, had to pay the Government £28,000, and the owners of the Oarinthia, a mulo ship, which went ashore off Cape Grawis, in Hayti, and lost 435 mules, had to pay the Government £IO,OOO. At the beginning of the war twenty of the transports, aggregating 96,000 tons gross, were retained at the Cape, for military reasons, from December, 1899. to October, 1900, practically unemployed, at a cost of

sosaethißg like a nrEiion. In addition to thjs, delay* in nojoariiiig ship's at Pott Eikabeta aad Osps Town ccfit 35276..0C0. waa in rinety cases, the avera&e deiay boicg iMßettea li.rrs. The Hysoix, a forage ship, wan detaißed frwr raoatbs av. Port Elisalret-h before tm'oadiwr. Th? Wivkotu. Kagi=?hnu»j.', UrifciEnic, ;aid the Bisva.rij.fl -.vexe for over thb'Sy-:;ve r-sovilbs r;tdh, ;u>cl oil 4.230 or 4.2*0 days c.-f octad ti*y wfl-e oris? y-U-ssnvHg abwat 2,200 daw. The 'W*Aw>i was employed for thirty-li*'<.' rrwfvife aiid fourteen dajv, of which LOCO <}<i?s wjro &f acfcial ssrtployjiwnfc, and -147 days of these ti^sroir-fr. Graff says Jift is dead against sbbsidlbig lftrnrJiajit jr.- for tr&asport service. ;>>; it wonkl be j«pf.b{Y racsiey for p.o ic.yl vain v. Many of fbe b«ft irwp tcWb are. ha taid, rua on kretg disiaseo voyages to CTh"raa. and Aastraiii, and the very ship*' that v.j-xa boing Mibs-icusisd might- be at fchft other e.iiJ of tba voiid when thty ware wajitwb Th"y bad fowed no i erjcnrs rdisetencs on the tjstl of «3iip}sri*iiß to ret rbe hjups to the GovernHMSit. It was rei'-iiy a qoeslicn of piw. aj.d be thengbt it T*as better to pay pernvrrr-; vi.kusc a Ibyii price just ad, the nicmoni. whkb could bf lvdiMXid, than to pay a. subsidy for a. U*ug term of years with bo resrdt. TaJiiag iato comdderatioii th« fact tiwt iliA boat-.? n,s troop transports »"i*Ee uda-t-s on the market for bin 5 ., slid also the fact that the owners had to alrer cbe hite-rior construction of their vesf*s)s, ren»>-riu£ cabins, and ?o on. Mr Gratf did not think the rai<« of fnyjjjht paid wro execwe.i.Y<;, looking .vt tbß litm>.s- and coarii-t-icta «£ freight at the time.