TRADE WITH GERMANY.

New Zealand Herald, 29 June 1914, Page 9

TRADE WITH GERMANY.

NEW SERVICE ESTABLISHED.

PREVIOUS j SHIPPING RELATIONS. j

The extension of a direct cargo service from Germany to New Zealand is not the beginning of German shipping relations with the Dominion. According to an article in a Wellington newspaper, the " Gorman shipping invasion," as it has been called ill some quarters, dates back to about eighteen months ago, when tho direct service to New York was instituted. There are now three regular cargo lines from New York to New Zealand ports. These are the Tyser Line (now the Commonwealth and Dominion Lino), the American and Australian Line, and the United States and Australasian Steamship Line. About tlireo years ago the Tyser Lino and the Hansa Line (German) entered into an agreement rogarding the New York-Aus-tralian trade, by whioh, under the title of the United tyser Line, the German steamers got a fairly good share in the trade, the ships of the Tyser Lin© loading only for Melbourne. Sydney, and New Zealand ports. The Tyser Line also appears to 'have socured an interest in the A. and A. Line, which frequently loads 'IVser streamers at Now York (or Melbourne, Sydney, and New Zealand ports, in addition to its ordinary chartered tramp steamers. | This arrangement evidently did not satisfy the Germans, for about two years I ago tine U.S. and A. Line started to load Hansa Line steamers for Melbourne, Sidney and New Zealand ports, in addition _to chartered English tramps. Then it was announced that the U.S. and A. Line would employ nothing but Hansa Lino steamers in its service, or, in other words," that the U.S. and A. Line had been completely "Germanised," Since the latter port of 1912 tho Hansa steamers havo been trading regularly from New York to Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Duncdin, and on two occasions they have visited Nelson and Timaru, also with direct cargo from New York. The Hana Line of Bremen is a powerful and vory rich shipping company, with a fleet of 70 large, high-class cargo steamers aggregating about 300,000 gross tonnage. In addition to the steamers trading to Now Zealand, many of tho Hansa ships run to Australian ports, but their principal trade is between Germany and New York and India and the Far Last, the steamers being specially designed for the Eastern trad©. The names of the steamers j have the suffix " fols," "turm," or I " bur?," and among those that have visited Now Zealand ports are the Argon-' fels, Birkenfels, Hononfels, Marienfels, Sturmfels, Tannenfels, an*? tho Kittentnrra. So far, none of the Hansa steamers has loaded at New Zealand ports, but in every case, after completing discharge of their New York cargoes, Ihoy havo gone in ballast to Newcastle and loaded coal for j Eastern poTts. . | Apparently, tho new Gorman steam-! ship service from Continental ports to i New Zealand is to bo run by the German- 1 Australian Steamship Company, with, I probably, a number of the N'orddeutscherLloyd oargo steamers. It has been inaugurated by the steamer Linden, now discharging at Lyttelton and due at Auckland probably on Thursday. Some ',wo or three year? ago a similar cargo to that brought by tho 1 inden was discharged at j Auckland and Bluff by a German-Aus-! tralian steamer. The Norddeutscher-Llovd training ship Herzogin Sophie Charlotte and another hig German sailing ship, the Nal, both discharged cargoes of superphosphates at Auckland a few years ago.