MANY EMPTY VESSELS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21117, 26 February 1932, Page 8

MANY EMPTY VESSELS.

LESS CARGO FROM BRITAIN. CHANGE IN HOMEWARD ROUTE. How the general trade depression is affecting shipping is shown by the fact that of 27 large overseas vessels M-hich will load in New Zealand during February, March and April, ten will have come to the Dominion in ballast, bringing no cargo. They arc only some, of a large number of steamers that has come to New Zealand empty during the last two years. The depreciation of the pound and the cost of exchange have necessitated the alteration of.the routes of vessels trading between England and New Zealand in order to avoid the high cost, of transit through the Panama Canal and tho prohibitive cost of refuelling at American ports. Numbers of vessels now come to New Zealand from England via the Cape of Good Hope and a larger number returns to England via Cape Horn. Of the 27 vessels 'which will leave New Zealand for England in the next two months, 16 will proceed Home by the Cape Horn route. They are the Ardenvohr, Cambridge, Coptic, Huntingdon, Karamea, Otaio, Piako, Port Pirie, Port Alma, Port Wellington. Port Napier, Port Brisbane, Somerset, Taranaki, Zealandic and Tongariro. They will refuel at Las Palmas, Montevideo or Dakar.

The other 11 vessels—tho Mia Ora, Kent, Mahia, Port Hunter, Maimoa, Otira, Ruahine, Remuera, Rangitiki, Tamaroa and Westmoreland —will take the Panama route. Some Mill refuel at Curacao and the others at Kingston, Jamaica.