MARITIME MATTERS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 5229, 19 March 1904, Page 16

MARITIME MATTERS.

(By "Mainsail.”)

The annual report of the L nited States superintendent of foreign mails foi the last fiscal year shows that the lastest trip by any steamer across the Atlantic uas credited to the North German L.oyd jinor Kronprinz Wilhelm, the-mail* bj which covered tho distance from £*cw York to London in 1-18.5 hours; and the llnjnbmß-American liner next, in 151.6 hours; closely lolloped by the Cunarders.

Capo Race, the south-eastern extremity of Newfoundland, said to be the most important headland in the world, 13 described as "an ocean graveyard. PasKenner and mail boats from Aon to Liverpool and New lork to sail past Cape Race, and some 3000 ships are reported every year by the signalman, besides those which pass every night, in the fog, or out of telescope range. Yet at this place, during the last forty years, according to an official chart, 0-1 complete wrecks of ocean-going vessels have' taken place, invo.vmg a loss of 2000 human lives and A 0,000,000 in hulls and cargoes. Tho chief causes are fogs anu currents.

The New Zealand Shipping Company’s steamer Turaldna reports that the flash of the new light at the Lizard had been seen at a distance of 62 miles from J“ e lighthouse. When the Ttti-aitma had the XJshant light on her starboard quarter tho glare of tho Lizard light was distinctly visible on the port how, thus giving an idea of the power of the new light there. That rats play a prominent part in disseminating the plague Was been P r °uln conclusively, and that nearly every ship afloat harbours these anima s in greater or lesser numbers is beyond dispute, as also is the fact that there is usually an exchange of rats between chip and shore whenever a vessel makes port. At Hamburg some very successful experiments in killing rats on board ship have. beau made by moans-of a, sivstem devised, by Dr Ley bold, director of tho Hamburg gasworks. "Generator” gas is produced by the combustion of coke in a generator aided by a blast of air, and the ship having been cleared of all hands for a, few hours, the gas is pumped into the holds, which are afterwards ventilated. The advantages claimed for the system are the thorough extermination ot nits, the neutrality of the gasses introduced as regards the effect on the cargo or tho struct,lire of the ship, and the small cost of the operation. The apparatus was emloyed on the arrival at lla-mbu rg of tho steamer Westphalia from La Plata. Ninety-nine dead rats (four of which were plague-infected) and 181 mice (on© of which .was plague-infect-ed) were afterwards found, and living rats or mice, it . is stated, have not been observed on the ship since the operation. Tlie cost of the operation is said to he “too small to bo seriously considered.” There have been several very interesting finds* of naval relics at Home lately, and among them, is certainty/ to be numbered the old anchor, of a pattern more than a century old, which has been obtained by the Mayor of Scarborough for that town. It was brought to land by the steam trawler Dunrobin, having become entangled in her net and causing a suspension ..of the fishing operations. While the opinion of those who have seen the relic is agreed that it has at. .one time belonged to a warship, there is a a division of ideas as to the date to which ft is to be assigned. Some would credit It with having belonged to one of the ships of the Spanish Armada, while others ,are of opinion that it belongs to more recent limes,'and monitions in this connection the'fight in the North Sea between Paul in the Bonnohomnie Richard, and Sir Richard Pearson, with the Serapis and Countess of Scarborough, in 1779. H.M.S. Roxburgh one, of the six improved County cruisers of the Devonshire class ordered in 1903 by the Admiralty, was launched on January 19th bv the London and Glasgow Shipbuilding and Engineering Company (Limited), Go van. Of the half-dozen, four were p’aoed with Clyde firms—the Argyll, <at Messrs Scott and Co.’s Greenock; the Carnarvon, at Messrs Beard more's, Go van; the Antrim, at Messrs John Brown and Co.'s, Clydebank; and the Roxburgh, at the London and Glasgow. Company’s, Govan. Tho fifth ship—the Hampshire—was given to Elswick, and the naiue.ship—the Devonshire —to Chatham. 'All are now launched except the Argyll, ‘which is due to be floated at the end of March. The Roxburgh is well within her time, and will, bar accident, be delivered ahead of- it. The launch, which was witnessed by-very large .crowds, was one of the best seen on the river for .years. Erom the actual moment of tho reletus© of the vessel until she was completely waterborne the elapsed time , was 71 seconds, ; which gave an average of 6.9 ft per second 1 . The United States nav>r is making up for lost .time in the matter of -wireless telegraphy, which is to play an important part in the coming manoeuvres. I Each battleship and cruiser, as well as certain of the smaller vessels, has been equipped with the Slaby-Arco apparatus, and tho same has been installed at San Joan, Culebra, ICey West and Pensacola. .All tho battleships and cruisers of the Asiatic fieeit are also to be fitted with the same system of wireless telegraphy, and the "Army and Navy Journal' ,, says that, if tho 'Bureau of Equipmeijit had been apprised earlier of Admiral Evans’s visit to Honolulu, the apparatus would probably have been shipped to that port. Some delay occurred in getting the instruments ■out of the New York Custom House, but they will be despatched forthwith to the Far Bast.

At a meeting l of the council of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, held on January 20th, the General Purposes Committee reported that since the date of their last report they had on two occasions considered the action of r English steamship companies in charging' 'dower; rates for the shipment of merchandise from Continental ports, via London, to New Zealand, as compared with the rates from London direct. The committee addressed a communication to the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company (Limited) and the Tysor Line (Limited) asking whether they could take steps to remove the grievance. The Shaw,' Savill, and Albion i Company (Limited) replied that the question would have full consideration, and that it had, on the initiation of the chamber, already been under discussion with the Board of Trade. The Tysor Line (Limited) replied that their. object, in fixing lower rates from Continental ports was to take it. out of the power of Continental steamship companies to run a service from the Continent direct to Now Zealand, and that that could only be done by their competing with the Germans in the question of freight, which they were doing at considerable cost to the New Zealand steamship lines. . The Tyser'Line further stated that a few years ago their rates from London were considerably lower than; those from the Continent, but at that time British manufacturers evidently /did not see the necessity for holding their trade, whereupon the Germans entered, into keen competition, and so built up a largo trade which compelled the Now Zealand steamship lines to reduce their rates to the preson t low level. The committee instructed the secretary to write to the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company (Limited) thanking them for their letter, and slating that the Chamber would be glad to receive a further communication after the subject had been'carefully considered. The committee also instructed tha secretary to write to the Tyser Lin© Company, and to state that the Chamber regretted that it should be deemed necessary, in order to obtain a comparatively small amount of foreign freight, to penalise a large amount of British freight, to such an extent as to cause a diversion to the continent of ordars which formerly were placed in England. The secretary was further instructed to state that this diversion of trade would ultimately prove injurious to the New Zealand steamship linos and to express a hope that 'at no distant date the shipping companies wopld decide to abolish the preference now given to Continental freight. The report tyaa approved.