AIR TRANSPORT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18920, 23 January 1936, Page 16

AIR TRANSPORT

EFFECT ON SHIPPING SERVICES ANCILLARY POSITION BEING WATCHED Reference to the competition of aeroplanes and airships with steamers was made, by the Hon. Alexander Shaw, chairman of directors, at the annual meeting of the Peninsular and Oriental Si earn Navigation Company in London. Mr. Shaw said that anybody who considered the matter might, agree that the air was destined 1 to play an increasingly important, part in the carriage of letter mails and passengers, and that it was wise for the boani and management to keep an eye upon these developments, and to be prepared, under proper conditions, to co-operate with air services. The point was not being disregarded. Already one of the allied companies had a large interest in an air service, and was making a success of this pioneer effort. It was also actively preparing, in co-operation with others, to take its pari in developing and operating further air services.

It would be rash to assume cither that the sea transport of passengers, mails and commodities was destined to be supplanted by air transport, or that, in such case, shipping companies could preserve any large part of the present value of their 'assets by the process of switching over to air. There was no such sharp antithesis between air carriage and sea carriage now and probably there never would be. One was ancillary to the other, and ih,e needs of the world in lime to come would be lies! served by (lie co-operation of both. In spito of the growth of air mails the actual bulk of mails- carried by I'. and o'. steamers now, as compared with 1913, had very greatly increased, with a return of commercial prosperity would undoubtedly go on increasing. Mr. Shaw said. In. 1913 the P. and 0. Company's vessels* carried outwards from Europe 334.658 bags of mail. In 1934 they carried 488,559 bags, an increase of 46 per cent. The figures for 1955 showed a further considerable increase and revealed that last year the mail carried in P. and O. ships was greater than in 1913 by over 50 per cent. As regards passengers the air was not necessarily destined to take them all or any very considerable proportion of them. Considering the safety, the comfort and the restful holiday provided by the modern steamship, it could not be doubted that travel by sea would continue to retain its attractiveness, especially to a nation of seafarers.