SHIPPING ANNIVERSARY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18760, 17 July 1935, Page 3

SHIPPING ANNIVERSARY

A PIONEER" LINE [JNION CO.'S RECORD lii) TEARS OF PROGRESS Sixty years ago, on July I-. IS7~>, the certificate of incorporation or the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand was issued in Dunedin, ami the company entered on its long career of expansion and service. There were shipping companies in Otago, financed by local capital and managed by Dunodiu men, and there were many individual ship owners, before the advent of the Union Company, but that fact in no sense deprives it-of the coveted and important designation of pioneer. In those far-off days of 1875 the formation of such a company demanded vision and courage, and when it is remembered that the largest steamer then belonging to the port of Dunedin was of a gross tonnage of 460, those qualities assume their due proportions.

The formation of the Union Company had its genesis in an historic meeting, to which Air (now Sir) .lame- . Mills invited five business men to lie present. Tie was then manager of the Harbor Steam Company (having reached that position at -1 years of age), which had its offices in Harbor Chambers, a small one-storey building in Dunedin. ACTIVITIES OK EARLY DAYS ll is most interesting to note tihe disposition of vessels and the scope of activity in the early days in the history of the company. The Tnranaki and Wellington were employed with the Ilawea and Taupo in the service between Port Chalmers and the Mann kau, leaving each end twice a week. The Ladybird was placed in the Timaru trade, with the Beautiful Star. The Wanaka. built to replace the Bruce, arrived in the colony in January,' 1877, and shortly afterwards opened up it new trade between Port Chalmers and Auckland, via Hast Coast parts, making the round trip even three weeks. The Kotorua, which was ordered hefore the absorption of the New Zealand Steam Shipping Company's fleet, arrived in December, lS7t>, and, not being required in the coastal' trade, was placed in the intercolonial service. running between Port Chalmers and Svditev, via the Manukau, and subsequentl'v via Auckland, in conjunction with the Wakatipu, via Wellington and Cook Strait.

The Wakatipu was owned by a separate proprietary, but was plate.! under the control of the company, as were also the Waitaki and Samson, in the Dunedin-Ouinaru trade. Later -the Wakatipu and Waitaki were acquire-; by the company. The Taiaroa, a new steamer engaged in the Timaru trade under the flag of the Albion Shipping Company, was acquired about the same time, and shortly afterwards was en gaged under contract with the Government of New Caledonia to carry mails between Sydney and Noumea. PRESENT-DAY F.NTKRPR 18 K The spirit of enterprise born in 187-> wis carried on •through many difficult periods, splendid service being rendered bv the company during the Great War' Larger and faster ships have been built lo meet the growing trade ?nd to-dav the company has mulct construction at Barrow-in-Furness a luxurious 1-1,000-ton liner for the transTusman service. This vessel is to have a speed of 23 knots, which will enable her to make two andl a-hal day passages between New Zealand and Sydney. In keeping with the progressty policy of the company, it was recently Sodded to cater for travel by air. and with this object it obtained a he to run an'air service trmn Publicist. > North to Dunedin. 'I he managingdirector, Mr X. S. Pnlla, is at prese.u o" a business visit to Britain, and avU ~l k, . advantage of this opportunity to . Jul . (! „a S e aeroplanes for this service, f suitable British machines ate . > hie uis ho pe ( .hat the «n W ill be inaugurated towards the end