STEAMERS IN BALLAST

Taranaki Daily News, 9 May 1930, Page 9

STEAMERS IN BALLAST

UNUSUAL POSITION.

VARYING EXPLANATIONS.

A number of steamers have been arriving from England in ballast during the -past two months and opinions vary in the shipping world as to the reason. Some authorities state that.,it is because there is a bigger amount of floods to be exported and others declare that it is because imports are smaller. ~ . The manager of one company which owns vessels trading between New Zealand and the United Kingdom said, states the Christchurch Times, that his impression was that more produce was bein" exported, from New Zealand this year° with the result that more steamers are required to load here. He thought that there was just about the same volume of imports as was the case last year. The opposite view was taken by another shipping man. Ho said that he was sure that there was no appreciable increase in the amount of the Dominion’s exports this year. He knew of several ships which had left New Zealand this year without being full, while he. was sure that the volume oi imports had fallen considerably. This man stated that there was much more frozen meat going home just now than* was the case at this time last year, but that was merely because of the policy adopted by one or two companies this year of sending the meat home as early as possible. While the insulated holds were full, the holds for general cargo had liad plenty of space in them.

The Maimoa recently arrived at Lyttelton direct from London without any cargo whatever, and the Port Sydney is due at Timaru on Saturday in ballast from England. The Coptic is also reported to be on her way without cargo, and it is stated that the Zealandic, which is now on her way to England from New Zealand, will return in ballast."

The shipping companies do not relish the present situation, as it is very costly to bring a ship of 8000 or 10.00'0 tons all the way from England without a cargo and with merely a few passengers, whose fares are really a very small item, compared with the cost of running a large steamer.