GROSSING THE ATLANTIC.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16267, 6 November 1920, Page 3

GROSSING THE ATLANTIC.

LINER WORKING COSTS. VERY EXCESSIVE. At the meeting of tho p. and 0- Company in December, Lord Inohcnpe gave some interesting figures showing the increased costs of shipping management expenses, as compared with the pre-war figures. Sir Thomas Fisher, the general manager of the Canadian Pacific Ocean Services, Limited, has now mode on important contribution to the subject of ship management costa (says an exchange), and his figures are quite up-to-date. The occasion vims the branching at Govan recently, of the liner Empress of Canada, of 22,000 tons gross, for the trans-Paeific service of the Canadian Pacific Ocean Services, Limited. This ship is tho largest which has been launched since the Armistice, and it is stated that there is no larger ship building in the United Kingdom at the present time. The liner is to -bo completed by the English spring, for she is to leave Liverpool on March 12 for the I 1 ar East by way of the Mediterranean to take her place in. the service across •the Pacific. _ The speech was delivered at n function held after the launch in the draw-ing-room of the Fairfield Company, the builders of the vessel, and it struck a very serious noto. An opening was provided for the general manager of the Canadian-Pacific Ocean Services by directors of the Fairfield Company, for Sir Thomas stated that they had suggested the desirability of laying down in tho slipway vacated by the Empress of Canada a similar vessel. He replied that he was quite sure that, however much the directors of the CanadianPacifio Ocean Services might wish such a course _ to be followed, they would consider it absolutely out of the question. The cost, he said, was prohibitive, and he went on to indicate the cost of building such a vessel and of maintaining her.

Sir Thomas indicated that tho cost 0e Impress of Canada ivould amount to about £1,700,000, as compared with a pre-war cost of £550,000. The increased cost of maintaining such a vessel was even more serious. Taking tho typo of_ tho finest vessels in tho”Canadian North Atlantic trade and ho instanced tho -Calgarian typ e jl3 an ox . ample ho said that insurance, allowance for depreciation, and interest on fc "° increased capital would amount, to t2Q,000 more thnn before tho wur. Analysing the main lines of expenditure, he pointed out that, the cost of coal for the voyage had risen from £4500 to £24,000; repairs from £I7OO to £7700; provisions from £3OOO to £8000; and wages from £2500 to £9OOO. Tho net result was that the cost ot a round voyage of a new ship of this tvpo would represent an addition of £60,000 to the pre-war cost.

Referring to tho higher fares which were charged to meet this greatly increased cost, Sir Thomas indicated that tho increase was not, from the management point of- view, adequate, chile ho admitted tho seriousness of such fares to travellers. He mentioned that the first-class minimum fares had been raised from £l9 to £6O 10s; and the second-class from £ll to £2B; and the third-class fares from £0 10s to £l9. As compared with the increase of ship management expenses of 350 per cent, the higher passenger fares represented an increase of 185 per cent. Yet it was clear that he realised that the present costs of travel are already high enough, even if they are not already too hud! Ho pointed out how serious a thirdclass fare of £l9 was for tho working man and his family who wanted to go to Canada or to return to this country for a visit. He declared that unless a stop were put to this rise in fares it would load to the disintegration of the British Empire. There would ho fewer emigrants from Europe, and the tendency would be for the population of Unada to he recruited from the United btates. Ho urged that shipbuilders should seriously consider how the cost of construction could he reduced. , is clear that Sir Thomas believes that the solution may he found in the construction of a simpler and slower typo of ship. He pointed out that a reduction of four knots, representing an addition of twenty-four hours to the Atlantic Toyagc, would mean a saving ot hair tho cost of coal. Ho also expects much from the use of oil fuel and, in tho future, from motor engines, the Canadian Pacific Compniiv has already fine steamers known as “ oneclass ships,” although they really carried two classes—ono being ,a combination between the first and second-class and the other being the third-class, which m the great standby of the North Atlantic passenger business. Of this typo of ship are the jMelita, Motagama and Minnedosa, of nearly 14,000 tons gross. i et, as there are always some travollers to whom expense is no immediate object the company has reconditioned Us mail liner Empress of Britain as a ship carrying first, second .and ihirdclass passengers, in n way which has really meant tho rebuilding of the interior. The company has not aimed at lavisinless in the decorations, but the schemes adopted fo r tho public rooms are beautiful, ami the accommodation is very comfortable. In the Empress of Britain advantage has been taken of the reconstruction to provide a largo number of single-berth rooms on a tandemprinciple, while the accommodation in the third-class has been very much improved with a view to making tho passage comfortable for those who, esierially owing to the present high level 0 f fares, are compelled to travel thirdclass. It will be soon that the cost of crossing the Atlantic third-class to-day is as Inch as that of travelling first-class before (he war.