CURRENT TOPICS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11938, 11 January 1901, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

The great ocean " greyhounds" which now reduce Din voyage across the lowering Atlantic to n minimum and at the (lie same time afford the mnxiATiiAKTtn nuim of comfort to tlio traveller itFi'Oltt). uvo triumphs of engineering skill. Since the time when, in Ajnil, W33, the SlriUs and lirenfc Western raced each other acros« tlie Atlantic, arriving ill New York within iv few hours of each other, tlm speed of steamers has been increased tn mi extent never dreamed of by the litiililers of the earlier ocean-going boats, From time to time the record lihs been lowered by lnrgor niul more powerful vofsolb, and tlio " bine ribbon" of the Atlantic has been eagerly competed for by rival companies. When, in 1081, the North Herman Lloyd's Company jilarted (licit* express service across the Atlantic from llrenien they found that their best fhips were out-paced by the Liverpool liners of that day; It was not long until the Cunavd liners Campania and Lueahia still fiifther rediifced tlirf record, which was later wrested from them by the German liner Kaifer Wilhelm der Urosse. The \ T uican Company at Stettin, Which built this famous German linfer, recently constructed a larger vessel,

liuilt expressly to run at a higher rate of speed, ami the American-Hamburg liner. Deutschland has accomplished all her designers expected her to do. She lias certainly forced the pace across the Atlantic, and reduced the time from New York to Southampton to about the time of the best record to Queenstown. The ' Dentschland easily left the Kaiser behind, and put up a record averaging 23 1-3 knots for the whole voyage, which must bo acknowledged to he a truly marvellous performance. In order to drive the huge mass through the waves at such a. rate the great litier has to develop 33,000 indicated horse-power, which, on ii consumption of ljlb of coal per horse-power, means the burning of 24 tons of coal in every hour of her trip. The first cost of maintaining eucli a high rat© of speed is, consequently, a set'ious item, and one that cannot ho neglected in any further attempts to still reduce the record. Lloyd's Shipping Gazette deplores the fact that the " blue ribbon" of the Atlantic has passed from the red etisign, and sees little prospect in the meantime of a British ship breaking the record held by the Deutschland, since any reduction to be of practical value would have to be considerable in amount. The development of the tiirbine may, however, alter the present state of affairs, and enable a British liner in the immediate future to run away from all rivals. In these high-pressure days lime is the great object, and if the time across the Atlantic can be sensibly lowered business people will not Ijg slow to appreciate the gain, and the fastest steamer can always reckon upon a full passenger list.

In connection with great ocean liners the matter of propeller shafts is of propeller first importance. We note shafts, that it has been recently set forth from German sources that shafts made in Germany are more reliable than those made in England. An English journal of high standing coVilints that opinion, and gives good reasons for its contentions. Until s(iitis(ic3 are compiled showin? the ratio between breakages and the number of steamers using English and Getinan propeller shafts, respectively, no very accurate determination of the position can be arrived at. Good shafts, the journal referred to points out, are only a question of money, and if shipowners are prepared to pay for them they may have the best material manufactured. The explanation of the German claims seems to be that German ships fitted with Eiigiish-made irori shafts have found these to fail, and have had them replaced by shafts produced in Germany from ingot steel. Had the original shafts been made of English ingot steel there is eVery reason to believe that they would have proved at least as reliable as anything made in Germany. The breaking of a propeller shaft is always a regrettable accident, but it is worthy of note that the percentage of Such accidents is greatly less in first-class passenger boats (where oiilv the finest quality of steel is employed) tlm'n in large cargo steamers. Most of the largest passenger steamers are now provided with twin screws, so that the breaking of a shaft only means partial disablement. It is in the case of the cargo "tramp" that this question of reliable shafts comes into greatest prominence. Most of these vessels are built at the least cost, and the quality of the material put into their shafts is not what it oliglit to be, and what all experience demands that- it should be. Large cargo steamers often go in ballast, and if heavy weather is encountered the " racing " of the Ecrew seriously imperils the stability of the shaft. It seems clear, therefore, that the cargo tramp has quite a3 much need, if not more, for the best propeller shaft that can be manufactured as the passenger steamer. In spite of all that modern engineering science cart suggest, shafts will no doubt continue to break at sea and cause no end of trouble; but such unfortunate occurrences ehotikl at least be reduced to a minimum. That can only be brought about by the Board of Trade and other competent tribunals insisting that none but the best material and workmanship go into all steamer shafts, whether passenger boats or not. Lloyd's Register Comnlittee recently recommended that steamer shafts if not made from steel ingots '' should be forged from blooms made from rolled iron bar of good fibrous quality," and that scrap steel should on jio account be used for such a purpose.

Although repeated attempts have been made during the past 20 years and ACCintATig- more to acclimatise the salmon IXG "the in New Zealand waters, there Salmon", is not sufficient evidence that these attempts have resulted in success. At various times large fish have been taken in coastal waters which hive conformed closely to tlie characteristics of the true saimoiij but expert opinion varies as to the real character of these fish, seeing that there is not a great deal of difference between the salmon and the Ealtnon-ttotit, especially when the latter has, been Etime time at sen. In order to put the matter to a still further fe9t Mr Ayson, inspector of fisheries, purposes to have some of the large fish caught from time to time at the mouth of the tViiitaki River stripped and the ova. hatched out, when a systematic comparison can be made with the real salmon at various stages. It may be that salmon exist in fair numberj along tlie coast, hut they have not, so far, followed their lmbit of visiting the river 3 to spawn* Acclimatisation of other animals has changed their character in not a few instances to such an extent tiiat well-known habits have been abandoned and new habits acquired. In view of these circumstances it may not be improbable tlmt the salmon in New Zealand waters, provided always such exist, spawn in the sea instend of coming into the rivers after the manner of theif European and American ancestry. It may not be generally known that for a number of years the Otago Acclimatisation Society have been breeding from salmon in confinement in their pohds, and the young fish show every evidence of unimpaired vigour, completely upsetting the theory that the salmon must pay a visit to the sea before spawning. The new hatchery at Hakataramea, a tributary of the Waitaki, ought to be an ideal spot for testing this matter of salmon acclimatisation, and if tho fish are only liberated when of fair size there should be a better chance of their surviving the attacks of natural enemies, The experience of the Otago Society leads to the belief that a new species of inland salmon is practicable, and tlmt the great cold lakes could be stocked with thesfei There seems nothing unreasonable in such a project, aiid \vere the lakes ahd the dear, snow-fed rivers flowing into them well stocked with these fish the noble sport of salmon-fishing would lend an additional interest to the. tourist tfaffic of tlie colony. An attempt, we think, should be made to extend the fishpond experiment of breeding inland salmon for stocking the great lakes of Ne\V Zealand, Seeing that the third generation of these confined salmon are now breeding, the type may be said to be fairly well established.