SHIPPING SERVICES

Evening Star, Issue 25684, 7 January 1946, Page 7

SHIPPING SERVICES

MAKING GOOD WAR LOSSES KO EARLY RESUMPTION OF TOURIST > TRAVEL (P.A.) AUCKLAND, January 6. The managing director of the Shaw Savill and Albion Company and of the Aberdeen, and Commonwealth Line, Mr Basil: Sanderson, arrived by air from Sydney on Saturday. For almost six years,, from the first month of the war until last June, he was in charge of the port and transit control for the Ministry of War Transport, and he is one of the most outstanding leaders in the shipping world to-day. He comes of a well-known, shipping family, and his father was general manager of the White'Star Line and later chairman of directors of the Shaw Savill Company. • Mr Sanderson has spent six weeks in the shipping centres of Australia, and he plans to spend six weeks'in New Zealand. NEW ZEALAND REQUIREMENTS. . In an interview on Saturday, Mr Sanderson said that one of the main reasons for his trip was to investigate the type of tonnage likely to be best suited- to the requirements of the trade between the United Kingdom and the dominions. During the war the two companies in which he was chiefly interested lost one-third of their fleet of 30 vessels, and among the losses were many of its largest and. fastest cargo carriers and passenger liners. “Arrangements are in hand,” Mr Sanderson said, “ for the re-establisli-ment of these fleets, and two cargo liners have already been laid down, one >with Cammell Laird at Birkenhead and one with Harland and Wolff at Belfast.” Orders would very shortly he placed, he continued, for two further caTgo liners, as it was the policy of the Shaw Savill- Company not only to make good its war losses, hut also to make adequate preparation for" replacing old tonnage. The new liners would he of a similar, though improved, type to the most recent vessels introduced just before the w T ar, but as costs would be. over 100 per cent, higher prudence required a full investigation of trade prospects The heavy losses of passenger vessels by all the British lines, Mr Sanderson said, would probably, render necessary the control of passenger travel for some months yet until- the heavy movements of personnel occasioned by the war were concluded. In his opinion free opportunities for travel on a purely tourist basis might easily be delayed "for upwards of 12 months. Speaking of trade between Britain and New Zealand, Mr "Sanderson said that all British owners were anxious to revive at the'earliest date their own domestic schedules and to provide importers and exporters with the regular opportunities necessary for their varied requirements. There was already some evidence of a relaxation of the war-time restrictions on shipping, hut this, Mr Sanderson thought, would ,-probably take months to complete.

THE AIR LINES

Asked about the coming development of air travel, Mr Sanderson expressed .the opinion that business people would necessarily make' use of the air services, but he doubted whether women and children would prefer that method of travel for a long time-to come., Mr Sanderson, who is accompanied by his private secretary,. Mr L. A. Tal-bot,--was met "at the air-base ,by the 'New Zealand manager of the Shaw Savill and Albion Line, Mr; L. • V. Bevan, and with other representatives of the company will leave for Welling-