SHIPS IN COLONIAL TRADE

Taranaki Daily News, 9 June 1930, Page 9

SHIPS IN COLONIAL TRADE

GREATER TONNAGES AND SPEEDS. KEENNESS OF COMPETITION. :■ '■ '. ' —J: The past two years have seen a pronounced improvement in tiro class of both passenger and cargo ships trading to New Zealand. Keenness of competition has probably been' mainly responsible for the change. The desire to test out new types of ships, chiefly motor ships, has also had something, to do with it; but not the .'least important consideration must have been the'.desire of the ship owners to minimise the trouble experienced with ships’ crews, which must have caused many delays, costing vast sums of money annually. The outcome has been motor ships with smaller crews employed below the <ater line. Whereas the old steam liner used to employ from 25 to 35 hands in the stokehold, ships of 11,000 tons to-day carry only eight greasers. Such is the case in ships like fjie Coptic and her three sister ships the Zealandic, Taranaki and Karamca. The Coptic carries 15 engineers, including. the electrician. If occasion arises, she could safely put to sea with the assistance of the engineers only. The Coptic’s crew includes 10 seamen and 12 in the providoring staff. Her total crew, numbers ...65. Another important change is the extra speed of the modern ships on the New Zealand run. Though their speeds do not compare with those of ships on the Western Ocean because trade does not warrant the expense, there are much faster ships in the trade than ten to fifteen years ago, when a ship that made the ’voyage from London to New Zealand in from 39 to 42 days was considered fast. To-day there are a number on the xjm which take only 34 days. Ships of the Raqgi class (which includes Rangitiki, Rang'itata and' Rangitane —motor passenger liners) can make the trip in a little over 32 days. There are other passenger /ships, such as Mataroa, Tamaroa and Rotorua, which have a fine turn of speed. Some of the cargo ships are now equally speedy. Examples are Zealandie, Coptic, Taranaki and Karamea, each capable of 15 knots or better.

Within the past ten years the speed of the principal ships in the Colonial trade has increased about three knots. It is expected that there will shortly be even faster freighters, for it is reported that the New Zealand Shipping Company are building three ships with speeds of 16 knots. The day of a 30 days’ passage to England does not appear to be far distant. Passengers going Home via ’Panama will appreciate the shorter trip, but it will be particularly welcomed by the exporter, who will be able to place his products on the London market a week or ten days earlief. 7 • •

There is one disappointing feature about modern shipping -so far as the Empire is concerned; that is the tendency to use oil as a fuel, replacing coal; While it is welcomed by the men working in the ships, it is taking away a vast amount of trade from British h.ipping and English and Welsh coal 1 K Some remedy may result from the use of pulverised coal. Important experiments are being undertaken at Home with this class of fuel. Realising the importance to shipping of reviving the coal industry, shipowners in Britain are paying considerable attention to the experiments and possibilities ■of pulverised cc«l. The running of the New Zealand Shipping Company’s liner Hororata solely on pulverised coal is being keenly watched.