HOW BRITISH SHIPB LOSE TRADE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9305, 19 November 1901, Page 1

HOW BRITISH SHIPB LOSE TRADE.

LONDON, Sept. 27. In the course of a conversation yesterday with Captain Rose, who was for many years manager at Wellington of the S.Z. Skipping Company, I gleaned some interesting illustrations . of the way m which. Anglo-Colonial traffic is being alienated from British shipping lines and diverted to the foreigu lines that are competing so keenly for the trade. "I am going out to New Zealand with my wife and daughters," said Captain Rose, "by way of Australia, and m one of the North German Lloyds steamers. You may be surprised that, after my long connection with British shipping, I did not choose a British line instead of a German one. I did intend, and wish to do so, but I was prevented by the way I was treated by one of these AngloAustralian mail lines. I applied ra due time for cabins m one of the Orient boats, but was told that I could only have cue four-berth cabin for myself and three daughters, while I myself must go m another four-berth cabin with three other men. Yet I found on going to the docks myßelf that some of the best cabins were still disengaged, but it was the practice to hold these back to the last moment on the chance of some prominent persons wanting them, possibly for a trip to Egypt. It was also desired to dispose of all the inferior cabins first, as the best ones had a better chance of being taken at the last moment." "After a good deal of fencing," continued Captain Rose, "it was made clear to me that the Orient Company did not mean to let me have the only cabins I wanted, although they were not taken, and although I was quite willing to pay well for them. So I went to the German line,' and at once was able to secure much better cabins without any shillyshallying or nonsense, and at a cost of £25 less than I should have had to pay m the other case. That, however, did not influence me, for I should have preferred to travel by a British ship, and I was perfectly ready to pay the additional cost. But I did not choose to be treated m that way, especially as I had just the same sort of experience with the same line on my homeward journey. I wanted to travel by the Ophir, as her captain was on old friend. So I got the Wellington agents of the Orient Company U) cable to Sydney securing for me two particular cabins. " The reply came that those cabins were not available. I got i frieud m Sydney to look into the matter, and he at once ascertained that up to that time hardly any cabins at all had beeu let, it being a slack period, and that noue of those m the block where those I desired were had been taken. Armed with this information, I put the matter very plainly, and m the end received an offer for the cabins I wished for. But by that time I had taken passages by the North German Lloyds, and came Home most comfortably. And now, when tht same thing was tried on me a, se; mil time, I had had enough of ; i, and co 1 M-ent again to the Germans, wh> arra'igtO even thing most pleasantly." "What could have been Wir 'object. " I asked, "m throwing all these obstacles