SHIPPING REVIEW FOR 1923

Evening Star, Issue 18533, 16 January 1924, Page 10

SHIPPING REVIEW FOR 1923

BIGGER H-NBRS-NTBW SERVICES. In December, 1922. the ‘Shipping Re view ’ lor that year did not look forward too hopefully to any great stimulus for the moar 1923 (says the Sydney ‘ Daily Telegraph'). Unfortunately the forecast was more correct than could he wished for. Generally speaking, 'there is too much tonnage for the oa.rgo offering, nnd that moans thait while shippers -get the benefit probably of lower rates than would otherwise bo charged if .cargo were offering freely, it can eaeily be seen tint it .is net a healthy .‘hate for the country to be

Roili with England and Americn. the balance of trade is against Australia, a state of affairs which cannot indefinitely continue .without menace to the Indus!vies of a country. However, the shipping companies, nctwitteJlondingt their loams, are not taking a too pessimistic view of the future, as several of Hio oversea, compauics have built or are building larger ioniittge in the hope that considerable ’mprovemwvt is bound to come in Uic near future.

Valuable additions wore .made to the ?. and 0. fleet. During the year tnc Moldavia and Mongolia jn ado their maiden voyages to Auytual::i. Those vessels presented a variation from the .type of previous skips designed for the P. and 0. Company's Australian, mail line. Tim Mooltan and Maloja, the 20,000tonners designed for .the P. and O. Company’s Australian service, were launched at Belfast at tho beginning of the year. These liners wore built bv Harlaud end Wolfff. Ltd., end are s2sft long. They will enter the Australian trade this veer. The Orient Company will also commission ? fine two 20,00T*l{on liners—Orama. acid Oronsiy—‘tor the Australian mail service this year. The outstanding development in the way of new lines .to Australia, wa.s the on-try of tho Reardon Smith r, learners. The Jersey City was the inaugural vessel. Tim -‘teamor arrived in Sychov during Jitiuary from the Atlantic Coast ports of the 'United .Stales. Ve'pols of this I’ne hare since come down at monthly inter,v uls.

An agreeracmit was oomplotod during the year between the Lloyd Sabeiudo Company and the Navigazione Generale Haliana to /maintain a joint service between Italy and Australia- /The CMa di Genov i was the inaugural steamer under I'Jiis arrangement- Two new passenger and cargo steamers, the Prlnoipessa Giovanna and Pinindpeasa Marita., thavo been built specially for the Auatra.lia-Ita.ly trade. The Chungwba Navigation Comipany, Ltd., of /Hongkong, ydhaoh lias for the lost few yeans been trading between Oh.inla and South America, diverted cine ci a-ls ships—the ling A’am—iby mof Australia during the year. Under ftflao auspices of the Californian Steamship Company, another service was inaugurated from Wio Pacific Coast of America), to Australia. With till is service there are now six concerns running aighit ■ services from the Pacific C'oadt to Australia. The fleet tof the Californian Steamship Company oonsißl's of vessels purchased from the American shipping and transferred to the ffoaama flag. The lines incorporated, in the association for the regulation of deep sea services have been making representations to the Government that harbor dues and light dues, are altogether far too high. |ln • regard to the latter, not only is a steamer charged by the Commonwealth [ Government at a rate of 9d per ton on net tonnage each quarter, but the State Government also inflicts a charge of 4d per ton per half year for each steamer coining to Australian ports. Both charges are considered exceedingly heavy, and during a lime when steamship companies are endeavoring to-maintain .services even at a loss they' feel that their position should he favorably considered by the Governments and those heavy rates reduced. It is also a puzzle why the State Government charges for light dues if the Commonwealth Government collects, and vice versa.

At one time during the year there was some prospect of thy Commonwealth Government retiring from its shipping business, hut it has only partially done so. At the present time its vessels in commission are valued at nearly £12,000.000, while the estimated cost of those under construction for (he Commonwealth Line is nearly £2,500,000. '

Shipbuilding in Australia' has practically ceased for the time being, and this cannot be wondered at, when, as Sir John Hunter said at a recent Potary Club gathering, shipbuilding firms on the Clyde at Glasgow have accepted contracts which they knew distinctly . beforehand would turn out at a heavy loss; the idea being to employ as many of the skilled laborers as possible, and keep tbeir equipment active. It would be . idle to expert too much for 1924, considering that Europe has si ill strictly to economise, and even its outlook for greater purchasing powers is,very little improved from a year ago.