STATE SIHPPING.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18405, 11 June 1925, Page 9

STATE SIHPPING.

ORIENT DIRECTOR'S SPEECH AT

LAUNCHING. (BY CABLE —PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPntIGHT.) (AUSTBALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION.) LONDON, Juno 9. A great crowd, including many Australians, witnessed the launching t)f the •Otranto from a slipway immediately overlooking the .shed in which the Australian submarines will shortly be laid down. A bottle of Australian burgundy was ibroken over tho bows of the Otranto, which promises to J>e tho Orient Com.' pany's show ship. She will sail for Australia i!n January. In a speech at the subsequent luncheon, Sir Alan Anderson emphasised the fact that thcro was a cycle of depression affecting first the merchant, then the shipowner, and finally the builder. The last-named competed with people wno had not adjusted their compasses to new conditions. Perhaps Britishers would find later that they were not so much above the prices ef their rivals. There was tho spectacle, Sir Alan said, of nations embarking on shipowning, a task which they were incompetent to undertake, and involving lpsses which they could ill-afford to bear. For instance, the Italians were hoping to restrict the transit of Italians to Italian ships, to- the disadvantage of the Orient Company, which so far had conveyed Italians to Australia. Tha Italians declared that they hoped to maintain their Italian identity in the new country, and he was not surprise! that Australia resented the idea. She wanted new citizens, but not aliens. Ho was also not surprised that there had been no answer to the call for tenders for the purchase of the Commonwealth Line. Australia needed loans, and, what was more important, private enterprise which financed itself. He was of the opinion that the existence of national trading operations that were losing millions was the worst advertisement for Australia.

Mrs Amery launched the vessel, which is of 20,000 tons, and is intended for the Australian mail service. The steamer will accommodate 600 first class, and 1200 third class passengers.