MARITIME MATTERS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1666, 3 February 1904, Page 51

MARITIME MATTERS

(By "Mainsail*”) ■

Waikato 'previous.! y ownect : |bjr- the New. Zealand *; Slapping Conipfisij; seems doomed to elio^pip.tea , ill-ludpt-Silie is new ..running. i|vnider charter to the Gulf Line -Association, and has recently beeai detained in Adelaide .undergoing repairs to her machinery prior to proceeding to. Melbourne. Raring the past years quite a number of accidents have befallen this vessel. About 1900' her- tail-shaft broke, and for several weeks she drifted about helplessly at the mercy of the wind and waves. She was subsequently picked up, towed to Fremantle; and repaired. Some months later a simitar accident be-fel the vessel when' several hundred miles from South -Africa.. She was* net, heweyer, drifting about so long' Sethis occasion before being picked up aind. repaired at the Gape. While passing through the Manchester Ship Canal, shortly before her departure for Adelaide, she met until an accident- which delayed her about a fortnight. Liverpool was eventually left on November 16.-

Vessels sailing under the French flag aro rare visitors to New Zealand ports but ono of the most noticeable features in connection with the present influx elf shipping to the different ports of the Commonwealth is the larger proportion than usual of French vessels. This is due primarily to the bounty system adopted by the Government of- France, enabling French, owners to unfairly compete with British ships in British ports. It is reported that at San Francisco at the present moment British sailing ves-sels-are lying idle, laid up, by the score, "eating their heads off,” while the ex-

traordinary spectacle is furnished of the

French bounty-fed vessels flocking away in ballast from San Francisco to Australia,’ earning all the way, as they go, their mileage bounty, which, of course, enables them to accept wheat cargoes from Australia to England at far lower rates of freight than British vessels can possibly -afford to accept. The result is that British vessels remain laid up ait Shm Francisco, and their unfortunate owners have to face their fate, and witness themselves ousted by their French competitors even from a portion of the trade - between the Australian States and their own mother country. This subject led to a good deal of controversy recently in EhglisJi shipping circles, and the opinion was emphatically expressed by some authorities that Great Britain .shortd at onc9 exclude. French bounty sailing ships from the coastal and interEmpire trade.

The enormous values involved in ships anid their cargoes require that special protection be given from danger by fire. The city -cf Manchester will shortly he provided with the most powerful steam fire and salvage boat iin the world, which will be used for the protection of the docks and other property on the Manchester Ship Canal. The

now vessel, which is being construe ted by Messrs Merry weather anid Sions, of London, will be 90ft tong, and fitted with two steel boilers, each of sufficient power to drive all the -machinery aboard. There will be two double-compound pro-

pelling engines driving twin-screws; two double-cylinder steam pumps, each delivering over; 2000 gallons per minute; and two separate centrifugall pumps,

each with its own engine, delivering 2500 galllons each. The 'boat will be able to

throw three gadnf streams, each 2£in in diameter, at high pressure, or a® many

as 24 ordinary fire jets simultaneously. Tho centrifugal pumps will be used tor pumping out in cases of flooded compartments in ships, breakdown of docks, machinery, etc.

The Board of Trade new regulation, which allows a discharged seaman a right to appeal when a master hasi either

given—him a bad character or has “declined to report,” is caiusing much un-< eiasiinoiss aimongist fclhdlpipiingj doau.panies

. and masters in the United Kingdom. , The columns of “Fairplay” each week flomtadn much in the wa.y of vigorous

protests from interested parties. It is ' that it is inimical to disoiplrne 1 on hoard ship and an umwaimnjtftble interfea-enoo with the discretion of the* xfo&sfcsr in making his report on conability. It is feared that, ; before a supeaintenident to justify 'theif aetion in giving adverse oeubir fieates, and thus waste their all'-too-limited tame on shore, Some masters t will ibe inclined to give “very good”’ and “good” discharges rather indiscriminate-

Jteoantly there were 34 deep-sea sailing vessefe in port at Sidney, of an aggregate tonnage of 51,818. These figures are irrespective of the New had timber fleet and coastal and in-

terstate owned craft. Of the 34 ve&t '■eta in'question >lB,-of a tonnage of 30,801, were Britteh-ownecL six with a total tonnage of 9514 belonged to France, sfy of an aggregate tonnage of 6113. were flying the Stars and Stripes, two were Norwegian-owned, and there Was one German, and one Italian. While {T the fleet in port by no means con«titufed a Stall it is gratifying

to notice such activity after a, period of almost complete stagnation. Tho passengers of rtKe Kroonland,, who landed at QueenstownM'oceutly, spoke in p-raiso of telegraphy with wihch the fljbto'd, and of tho facility with which,! 'when an accident occurred, they- -were able to com mu nicate with their friends in. England, Scotland and the Continent, and even America. They received replies before the Irish' coart was sighted. The accident -occurred when the liner was -130 milea to the west of the Fast.net, and communication was ait once made with tho- wireless station at: Crookhnven. Captain Dexrud was enabled to send messages to the chief agents) of tho American line at Antwerp, stating the nature -of the damage to the steering gear of the steamer, and that he would have to abandon -the idea of continuing the western voyage. Within an hour and a. half a message was received by the captain-from- tlic agents, instruct.mg bun what to do, and the Kroonland was headed tor Queenstown. Seven or eight passengers telegraphed to relatives foe money, mid replies were received in four instances authorising the puise.i to advance the amounts required, and the money was. paid over in each case. * ' According to advices received by English mail the steamship companies trading between London and Australia have adopted a novel method to recoup themselves for the additional outlay consequent upon the action of tho Oomntonweolith in levying Customs duties cm ship’s stores. It. appears that- m future passengers while travelling round the coast of Australia will he required to pay higher rates for the liquor supplied to them and two distinct tariffs have been drafted for different portions of the \oyag-e.