A Glimpse at the Union Co.'s Operations.

Progress, Volume I, Issue 2, 1 December 1905, Page 29

A Glimpse at the Union Co.'s Operations.

The total distance the ships of the Union S.S. Co.'s fleet covered last year was 2,000,000 miles, that is to say, that if one vessel were to cover that distance she would have to sail round the world 85 times, supposing the Panama Canal were cut

The yearly consumption of coal is 280,000 tons, just about three times the total tonnage of the fleet. The number of masters and officers employed is 470, and the crews, which include seamen, stewards, firemen, etc., number 1800. The salary and wages of the army of 2740 persons, and its auxiliaries of casual labourers, amount to nearly half a million sterling annually. There is no other large steamship company in the world which pays its crews higher wages, and yet the fares are low

compared with those for an equal mileage in European waters. At first sight this appears impossible, but the secret lies in the fact that the U.S.S. Co. makes more constant use of its vessels than is done at Home ; that is to say, it gets more work out of each ship. For instance : two of its vessels will in many cases do the work of three at Home. Boats are loaded and unloaded with great promptitude, and, by using a night as well as a day shift of wharf men, steamers are unloaded at once, no matter when they get in.