THE GROWTH OF THE UNION S.S. COMPANY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2430, 10 October 1900, Page 54

THE GROWTH OF THE UNION S.S. COMPANY.

. When in Wellington last week Mr James jMills, managing director, gave a Post representative, who waited on, him, some particulars of the growth of the Union S.S. Company and its services. In 1876 the company owned nine steamers of an aggregate tonnage ''of 2295 tons, while now it owns 55 vessels, j-vvith a tonnage of 74,627 tons, and there is ouo comparison between the vessels of to-day With those of the seventies. Every cai-e has (been taken to provide the colony with up-to-idate passenger boats — of which the Mararoa, £Moko> t a, Monowai, and Waikare, of the intercolonial fleet, the San Francisco liner jMoana, and the Moura, Takapuna, Mapourika, Rotciti, and Rotomahana are fine speciTiiens, — and the expansion of the company's business has kept pace with the growth of tho tolony. In comparing the number of vessels Jof tho red funnel fleet with those of earlier tyears, it must not be forgotten that several have been disposed of to other owners and ref>laced by larger and more modernised vessels o cope with the ever-increasing requirements Jfof .the coastal and intercolonial trade. The company started with the New Zealand coastal [trade alone^. and upon this' foundation built flxp successively its intercolonial service, Pacific '•Islands service, San Francisco and Calcutta iservice, and Tasmanian coastal and intercolonial service, the latter having in recent years assumed very large dimensions. i With regard to the expansion that has taken place in trade and traffic Mr Mills said lhafc in 1876' the Union Company's steamers {carried in round numbers 25,000 passengers ; jin 1886 the number carried was 119,500, in 0.896 there was an increase to 162,400, and last year 212J500 passengers 'were carried. In Jthe matter of cargo, in 1876 only 95,000 tons ?vvere carried, while last year the quantity jof cargo and coal carried totalled 1,389,917 jions. With the extension of the services there has been a great increase in tho mileage Covered "by the red funnel steamers. Thus, in {L 876 the miles steamed totalled 171,000, while -last year the vessels covered mall 2,124,704 aniles. In 1876 the average for nine steamers jwas 19,000 miles, while last year the average for 55 was 38,631 aniles. The company had all along anticipated the trade of colony, and had provided the public with Jill the facilities required. In this way the company had helped in the work of development of trade.

An opinion ventured that the expenses lor wages, coal, provisions, and other items taust now be enormous drew a smile Jiom Mr Mills, who remarked that the company's annual expenditure in 1886 amounted to £579,432, and last year it reached the total Df £1,026,182. In 1886 the coal consumed jWas 111,948 tons, last year it had increased to 228,279 tons. The number of permanent lhands afloat and ashore in 1886 was 1233, .while last year the company had 2320 permanent employees, receiving in salaries and wages £252,583. This of course did not inIclude the large army of mechanics, coalIheavers, wharf labourers, etc., who directly and indirectly are employed at various periods Un the year, many for the whole season round. (There was paid in tonnage and light dues in |New Zealand last year £30,610, and intercoloinial and foreign dues totalled £11,765. Provisions cost £91,458 in 1699, against £63,190 pn' 1896. The company last year r>aid for |3,203, 8021b of meat, equal to 1430 tone, or, jsay, the equivalent ■ of 53,400 601b sheep ; -;sbread, 813,1681b, or 203,300 41b loaves; the .consumption of potatoes amounted to 1308 •jtons ; 65,335 dozen eggs were taken ; and J69,194 gallons of milk; besides numerous )other items which were purchased at all available times in New Zealand.

Touching the business of the company, the *epqrter elicited from Mr Mills that, huge as appears' to be, 'the profits are not so large p,s one would expect. In view of the statement so often heard of the big monopoly enjjoyed by the company, it is food for reflection to hear from Mr Mills that the capital debentures and other funds of the company \figgregate £1,000,000, and all the shareholders vaave received for some time is 6 per cent, on ,lthe paid-up capital, or, say, lip to £36,000 Jper annum.

Asked if it was not a f acl that a great proportion of the officers of the Union Company ashore and afloat are colonial-born, Mr Mills replied in the affirmative, and he added that it was a gratifying feature in the building lip of the company's business. To another question, Mr Mills modestly admitted that though Wellington was not the headquarters of the company, it could claim that its leading officials were nntives of the Empire City.

The barque Loch Tvool, with cargo- from Glasgow, was reported off the heads on the 2nd, and was tendered by the Harbour Board's tug Koputai. The Loch Trool is a handsome iron barque, o,f 1567 tons net, built at Glasgow in 1884 by the Govan Shipbuilding Company. Her class fit Lloyd's is 100 Al, and she is owned by Messrs J. Sproat jind Co., of Liverpool, and is commanded by Captain Mainland, who superintended her construction. She has some 2900 tons of general and deadweight cargo on board, of which 2500 tons arc for Dunedin, and the remaining 600 tons for Wellington. The s.s. Obra, whicli belongs to the BritishIndia Steam Navigation Company's line, arrived on the 3rd. The Obra is a large steel screw cargo sieamer, having a net tonnage of 3496 lons. She is 4ioft long, with a beam of 50ft 7in, and a depch of hold of 29ft 2in. Her engines are of the triple-expansion type, and develop 450 nominal h.p. She was built in 1595 at Sunderland by J. Laing. The Obra left Calcutta on the 12th of August, and sailed for Dunedin. via Singapore, Auckland, Wellington, and Lyttelton, having enjoyed very fair weather throughout the entire voyage. She carries a cargo of gunny, rice, tapioca, tea, preserved pineapples, and Eastern produce generally, and had on board for New Zealand ports 7665 tons of cargo. Tho present is her forty-second voyage, but it is the first trit> to New Zealand. After dis-.

charging her cargo here, which she hopes to

do by the end of the week, the Obra sails for Newcastle and Melbourne, where she will take on board a shipment of horses intended for Calcutta. ** The s.s. Moura, from Axickland, arrived on Thursday morning. The s.s. Obra, at the cross wharf, being the largest steamer over berthed at Dunediu wharves, attracted a good deal of attention en Thursday, quite a number of people going down to the wharf to see her. The Obxa is about 50ft longer than any steamer hitherto berthed at the cross wharf.

The U.S.S. Company's Kia-Ora, from Launceston, Tasmania, via Newcastle, arrived at Port Chalmers on Thursday morning. She was met in Deborah Bay by the health and customs officers, and all being well, was admitted to pratique by Dr Hodges, and cleared in without delay by Mr Scott, the surveyor of customs, and afterwards came up to the Bowen pier to discharge her cargo, which consists of 1756 railway sleepers. The KiaOra is a handy little screw steamer of 150 tons net, fitted with all necessary appliances for the receipt and delivery of cargo. She is commanded by Captain 8,. Harris, 'Captain Sinclair, late of the Union Steam Ship Company's Mokoia, has gone Home, says a northern paper, in connection with the construction of a new cargo steamer for the company. This vessel is lo be about the size of the Rakanoa, but with special facilities for the carriage of timber, it being- estimated sbo will carry between a million and a million and a-half feet, with, of courae, every mqdern improvement for the rapid loading and discharge of cargo, including especially large hatches for the more convenient handling and stowing of timber. So" that she may be able to negotiate all the timber ports with ease, the vessel will be built on a light draught principle. The s.s. Zealandia, after a lengthy absence of nearly six months, arrived from Sydney on Sunday. She left Sydney on the 26th ult., and arrived at Auckland on the 30th.

The following vessels have been in harbour during the past week: — Arrivals: Kini, s.s., 702 tons (twice) ; Loch Trool, barque, 1367 tons; Rimu, s." 3 ., 143 tons; Obra, s.'s.. 3495 tons; Kia-Ora, p.s., * 150 tons; Moura, s.s., 1276 tons; Corolla, ship, 1264 tons; Monowai, s.s., 2137 tons; Zealandia, s.s,, 1735 tons; Waikore, s.s., 1901 tons ; total, 14,872 tons. Departures : Kini, s.f., 702 tons (twice) ; Tarawera, s.s., 1276 tons; Inver car Kill, s.s., 123 tons; Whakatane, s.s., 60.00 tons; Rimu, s.s., 143 tons; Waimate, s.s., 5610 tons; John o' Gaunt, barque, 1228 tens; Moura, s.s., 1276 tons; total 20,555 tons.

The Union Steam Ship Company's steamship Monowai, Captain Chatfield, from Melbourne, via Hobart and the Bluff, arrived at Port Chalmers at 6.30 a.m. of Saturday, and was berthed at the George street pier. She steamed up to Dunedin on the afternoon tide. The Monowai left Melbourne at 5.5 p.m. of September 29, cleared Port Phillip Heads at 9.30 p.m. same day.

It is a noticeable fact that a great quantity of mining material is being constructed at Port Chalmers for New South Wales, and on Saturday a considerable amount was shipped by Messrs Morgan and Cable on the e.s. Monowai for Sydney. ■ The U.S.S. 'Company's steamship Waikare, Captain H. J. Richardson, with 69 passengers and cargo, from Sydney, via Cook Strait, arrived at Port Chalmers at 7 a.m. on Sunday, and steamed up to Dunedin on the first of the flood. The ship Corolla, which left Liverpool on June 1, arrived here from Wellington on Saturday morning, and was berthed at the Rat3ray street wharf. The voyage to Wellington occupied 107 days, 15 days being occupied in the run from the Tasmanian coast. She arrived in Wellington on September 20. The Corolla is a steel vessel, built in Swansea by Potter,, her net tonnage being 1264 a

The s.d. Waikar& reft for Melbourne, via the Bluff and ficbart, and the s.s. Monowai for Sydney, via Wellington, on Monday afternoon.

The s.r<. Mapourika is to be at once put in commission again. She is expected to leave Port Chalmers on Thursday for Wellington. Another direct steamer from Now York in the shape of the Menantio arrived at Port Chalmers at 8 a.m. on Monday. She is a fine steel steamer of the cargo-carrying typa; built at Sunderland in 1893 by J. lv. Thompson and Sons for the Menantio S.S. Company of Bristol. She is classed 100 Al at Lloyd's, is schooner rigged, and has a. well deck, with topgallant forecastle, bridge deck, and poop. She is 322 ft long, 42ft 7in beam, and 18ft 6in depth of hold. She is fitted with triple expansion compound surface condensing engines of 291 horse-power nominal, tlie diameter of the cylinders being respectively 24£ in, 40in, 66in, with a length stroke of 45in. She has four large hatchways for the reception arid delivery of cargo, and is fitted with steam winches and other necessary labour-saving appliances. The Menantio is consigned to the New Zealand Shipping Company, and brings 2000 tons of cargo, of which the one-half js for Dunedin, and the remainder for Lyttelton, Wellington, and Auckland. She left New York on the 9th August.