FUTURE HARBOUR REQUIREMENTS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 36, 25 January 1911, Page 3

FUTURE HARBOUR REQUIREMENTS

The Cunard Company has not ordered a ship a thousand feet long, but its chairman is evidently of opinion that it may do so one of these days. In a brief speech just made at Liverpool, Air. Booth laid it down that, as ary trade grows, the larger the unit of transport employed the mor? profitable it is likely to be. That a ..ii p’e ;-i*. ciple which si ffiete. I '/ -r the crowth in the size of ships. Mr. Be:uh says there is no case within his knowledge to which the rule doc-, not -apply. Therefore* he sees no reason why it should cease to hold good at any particular limit — IniMift in length or 70,000 tons, for example. The realisation of such ships depends. Mr. Booth holds, not upon the naval architect or the marine engineer, but upon the harbour authorities of the world.

This, of course, is the view which Lord Pi trie has consistently advocated. and so far he has more or less converted Liverpool. Southhampton. and Belfast. Air. Booth, for his part, thinks harbour authorities will be forced to go ahead, whef-n r they like it or not. That, at aii events, is his reading of the past. A RIVAL TO NEW YORK. In view of the Mauretania’s hurried trip to New York and back, any si lo me which has for its object the shortexiing of the Atlantic voyage, even by a few hours, acquires added interest. The latest project involves the selection of Fort Pond Bay. Montauk Point, as the future passenger port of New York. From Montauk steamers require form six to eight hours to reach New York, while by the Pennsylvania Railroad, it *s claim ed. the journey can be done in two hours and a half. This would mean a saving of from 3.1 to 5.1 hours each way. ox* just enough, perhaps, to be very useful to the Maure--tania on her return voyage. That the project is now seriously entertained is shown by the attention which the railway companies are giving to it. Their leading men have been down to Montauk, and are said to be favourably impressed with the scheme.

It is. of course, the early advent of the Olympic and. Titanic which has brought Montauk under notice. These vessels if they go to New York, will project out into the river many feet beyond the piers. Mr. 1, ierpoiit .Morgan. on behalf of the International Mercantile Marine, has asked permission for tiro piers to be extended, and is un.dcrstood to have been refused. Hence the favourable eye given to Montauk. New Y’ork dislikes tiro idea of a rival passenger po't. for the very olivious reason that freight might go there as well. Hence it will do all it can to keep the White Star where it is. for obviously. if one combine line goes, the i—st may follow suit. As regards the Hamburg-American Line which has a mammoth ship in prospect. : t is stated that it will continue to dock at Hobfken. even if it is necessary to cut 75ft. into the shore to aeconimodate the liner.