TRIAL TRIP OF THE WAIPORI.

Otago Witness, Issue 2463, 29 May 1901, Page 56

TRIAL TRIP OF THE WAIPORI.

On March 30 the steel screw steamer Waipori, of about 3500 tons deadweight, built by the Campbeltown Shipbuilding Company, Campbeltown, to the order of the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand, proceeded down the Clyde on her official trial trip. The vessel is classed 100 Al at .Lloyd's under special survey., has been built as a single-deck ship, wltn deep framing, and complies with the Board of Trade requirements for a first-class cargo steamer. On the trials everything passed off satisfactorily. The engines worked smoothly, and an average speed of 11^ knots was attained. The Waipori will leave immediately for Australia. \

The s.s. Zealandia left for Sydney, via Auckland and East Coast ports on the 21st.

Advices received at headquarters intimate that the Union Company's new cargo steamer Waipori arrived at Delagoa Bay {from the old country on Saturday evening last en route to the colonies.

The s.s. Talune, from Melbourne, via-Ho-bart and the Bluff, arrived at 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday, and was berthed at the «ross wharf. She left Melbourne on the 15th inst.

The s.s. Te Anau, from Auckland, arrived on Thursday forenoon ,and wa.s berthed at the tongue wharf. She left* Auckland on the 18th inst., and called at the usual way ports. The s.s. Lynalder, which is due here from New Yoi'k, via Melbourne, is a vessel of 3286 tons register, and is commanded by Captain Waring. In the present day of modern artillery (says Engineering) a heavily-armed ship is, * from a fighting point of view, worse than useless to th© country, because if it happens to come into the line of battle it would be put out oi»action peihaps by a ship armed only with a few modern guns, with possibly no protection and manned by a scant crew, providing always she has the speed and is able to control' the range. The Inflexible, •which heads our long list of vessels armed with muzzle-loaders, would fare badly if she came across a French cruiser of the Cassard class. The Inflexible has a crew of 485 men, as against 385 of the French cruiser. She cost (it is true, many years ago) about a million sterling, as against £318.000 of the French ship. At a range of 8000 yards or ■beyond the French ship would be in safety against the fire of the Inflexible ; whereas at this range the French cruiser, with the aid of her modern guns, and of modern telescopic tights, would be able to make good practice a-gainst the British ship, and would put her quickly out of action by firing large-capacity, high explosives and other Jnoderu shells. Let us, from this particular • illustration, consider further the cost to the country. Each man employed on board ship costs us about £100 per annum. The upkeep during war of a ship of the Inflexible cla^s in the expenditure of coal alone, since it would be at famine prices, would be enormous, aud the cost of repairs, etc., enormously disproportionate to the sen ices rendered. But apart from these monetary items there is the far more important question of the ineffective employment of the. 485 men, whose training represents a large national asset. And what would be still more -deplorable from more ■views than one if these obsolete ships, of which there are very many in the service, are sunk or taken, a very large and unpleasant gap> would be made in our personnel • According to recent returns furnished to the Board of Trade, there are 28,492 fteamprrf and sailing vessels, with an aggregate of 29.049,728 tons, on the register of shipping, and of these 11,838 vessels, with an aggregate of 14,261,254 ton«.-iare owned by the United Kingdom and the British colonies. The cargo tramp Lynalder, which arrived off the heads on Friday afternoon, came up to Dunedin on Saturday, and was berthed at the Victoria wharf She has 1400 tons of cargo for this port, and goes on to Lytteltou, Wellington, and Auckland. The s.s. Jtfonowai, from Sydney, via Wellington and Lyttelton, arrived at the cro^ wharf at 11.10 a.m. on Saturday. She left" Sydney at 11 p.m. on the 18th inst., arriving in Wellington at 5 p.in- on the 22nd. The s.s Mararoa, from Sydney, via Auckland, nrrhed on Sunday morning, and was berthed at the tongue wharf. She left Sydney on the 15th inst . and arrived at Auckland on the 19th. - It is not often that a counle of large cargo fteamers, both from New York, come in together, and the sight of the s.s. Beohuana Hid the s.«. Lynalder lying near each other At the Victoria wharf is an unusual one. The s.s. Beohuana, fiom New York, via Adelaide, and intercolonial ports, arrived off bta^o He*ds »t 3 p.m. on Sunday* ftftd

anchored in Koputai Bay at 5 p.m. in readiness to proceed to Dunedin at 7 a.m. to-day. She left New York on February 17, and after calling at intermediate ports, left Lyttelton at 6 p.m. of the 25th, arriving as above.

The following vessels have been in harbour during the past week : — Arrivals — Moana, scow, 96 tons; Invercargill, s.s., 123; Talune. e.s., 1370; Te Anau, e.g., 1027; Janet Nicoll, s.s., 496; Lynalder, s.s., 3296; Upolu, s.s., 700; Monowai, e.s., 2137; Mararoa, e.s., 1381;— total, 10,628 tons. Departures — Westralia, s.s., 1819 tons; Invercargill, b.b., 123; Zealandia, s.s., 1736; Talune, s.s., 1370; Waihora, s.s., 1269; Gladys, barque, 13*5; Janet Nicoll, e.s., 496;— total 8157 tons.

Mr Keith Ramsay has been advised that the s.B Rimu, which returned to the Bluff from the Auckland Islands on Saturday, made a very successful trip, having lost only eight sheep. She left again last night with a second cargo, and should return here about the end of the week.