THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 1911. GREAT SHIPS AND GREAT PORTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14708, 16 June 1911, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FR IDAY, JUNE 16, 1911. GREAT SHIPS AND GREAT PORTS.

There is food for thought for all who take an adequate interest in the commercial progress of their district in the cabled announcement that the huge White Star liner Olympic has started on her maiden voyage to New York. If the Olympic were not only a monster but a monstrosity, not only the greatest ship afloat, but the greatest ship ever likely to be afloat, a unique and solitary specimen of what can be accomplished by ambitious shipping companies and enterprising shipbuilding firms, her appearance upon the Western Ocean would be of little more than casual interest. But the Olympic—nearly 900 ft long, over 90ft wide, of 45,000 registered tonnage, and with a displacement of 62,000 tons—-is only momentarily unique. Her sister-ship, the Titanic, will soon be running with her at the, same speed of 21 knots, and with accommodation for the same great company of 3346 souls. Nor is this all ! Both foreign rivals and British competitors are out-classing the White Star leviathans. The II am burg -A m Company has on the stocks in the German yards, which have so recently sprung into international fame, two great ships even larger than the Olympic. These worthy German answers to the latest British challenge -the Imperator and the, Europa— are fully 900 ft long, 96ft in the beam, and have a registered tonnage of 50,000 tons. The contract speed is 22 knots, and the accommodation to be provided is for -1250 persons. In England, the Cunard Company is having built a. 50,000-ton steamer, somewhat shorter but expected to give a. speed of 23 knots-— a floating palace, fitted for 3790 people, and costing two millions sterling. Here Ave have four vessels' faking to the water practically together, of 45,000 and 50,000 tons, demonstrating convincingly that there is little limit to shipbuilding possibilities excepting trade considerations. Less than a year ago any vessel of 20,000 tons or over was exceptional, but there were already II of such vessels afloat;' including

six British and three German; while of 15 vessels between 15,000 and 20,000 tons no fewer than nine were German, whose enterprising companies had previously caught British shipowners napping. At the same time of 110 vessels over 10,000 tons 22 were German and 64 British, and of 273 vessels over .7000 tons 41 were German and 174 British; although the total German tonnage is little more than an eighth of the total British tonnage. We make the comparison without any national animosity whatsoever, solely to show that the keen and practical Gorman, our keenest maritime rival, because he is the ablest and shrewdest of: our maritime rivals, has grasped the value of big ships, as against small ships, and is forcing the pace in that direction by building up his mercantile marine upon the most economic

lines. All this means that the oceancarrying trade tends all the time to fall to the great ships, and that the only ports which can hope to hold their own or to become great ports aro those which offer suitable facilities to vessels of almost indefinite tonnage. There is no suggestion at the present moment to place huge Atlantic leviathans upon the Pacific, but vessels of 10,000 tons and upwards are already familiar to our waters, and it is absolutely certain that this class will greatly increase in numbers and steadily increase in size. The only limitation, as we have said, of size in general is made by the possibilities of obtaining loading; and the growth of trade between New Zealand and England, conjoined to the great distance to be traversed, lias introduced methods of collection that justify the employment of vessels far too large to be ordinarily loaded at any individual port. The factor of distance alone greatly favours the great ship as against the smaller ship, and we may confidently anticipate that while the stupendous passenger trade of the Atlantic may long monopolise stupendous passenger liners, the largest cargo boats afloat will frequent New Zealand waters, and that it will not be long before we shall look back upon what we now regard as ''liners" as antiquated indeed. It follows that any port which seeks to be an ocean-trade centre, and not a coastal trade port alone, must keep incessantly abreast of the growing demand for accommodation by large and larger ships. A port such as Auckland will not fail to draw the ocean carriers as long as they can enter it safely and find in it suitable, deep-water berthing and other necessary facilities. But if a port such as Auckland is permitted to fall behind in these respects, owing to a mistaken idea as to what facilities arc required, and a grudging notion that. too much attention is paid to the ocean trade, it.will speedily find that it has to tranship its overseas cargoes at wiser and more convenient ocean ports, having itself degenerated to the level of a coastal port and given the palm to more energetic rivals.