LUCKENBACH STEAMERS,

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, 26 October 1916, Page 5

LUCKENBACH STEAMERS,

(by telegkaph—press issocjvrKW V WELLINGTON Oct. 95 ..At the Harbor Board" meeting to night a letter was received from tho Vacuum Oil Company in reference to the Board's recent discussion on the Luckenbach steamers, which lately visited Wellington, and enclosing 8 J ter from its Melbourne agents Wtinothat this lin c is on the "white list"' and had signed the Brii^h Admiralty's bunker agreement. i The chah-uian: T'-.ei-e's no question that the letters \vo; Q - mO v e wor <L t jL convincing. c Mr B. A. Wright said the conviction was-strong in New Zealand that the line had German capital behind it : The chairmain: There's no auestion about it. Mr Wright said that when questions regarding the "Luckenbach line were laised in the House they caused con siderable embarrassment, and this led him to believe that it was felt in hio-h quarters in New Zealand that the line was German-owned. Mr J. Cobbs'did not see what orievance the Vacuum Oil Company& had If a man called himself Hermann yon Bismarck he could not grumble if he were regarded as a German. | Mr R. Fletcher said that ■no one in Wellington would act as agents for the line. One firm had acted in that ca-' paqity, but after communicating with L^don had decided to drop the agency The Board took no action. °

DOUBTS EXPRESSED