SHIPPING OMPANIES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 616, 20 September 1909, Page 8

SHIPPING OMPANIES.

: vi/v-THE COMBINED "SOCIAL."'; ;,- ' ' --' '.- . -."' Ll :-- '' -- •--■" . :■■.:/'/•< ■■■ -ZVVSPEECHBTHONZJ-α MILLAB.- ; V T,he: annual-supper and smoke concert'of the combined shipping companies, held in the MaSonic Hall on Saturday, night, was attended •to the.point of .overorowding. Mr.. C. Jones (Huddart-Parker -Company) presided, and the Minister.-'for Marine.(the Hon. .J; A.'Millar)* was'guest of honour. , '.- ; ..'.-. '~\ -; :' the toast .of the "New Zealand ■Mercantile Marine,"- the Hon. J. A.' Millar said that tho. Dominion was fortunate in laying what;:ho■ believed ''■ to : be one of the. best, that conld be found in any ; part of the world.-' Since'. the ■ days when,all the" traffic : _bf . the-coast was done by small sailing.vessels,/'beautiful no doubt, but'..not ■satisfactory,to. the.business-man in a hurry,-an evolution had.taken place which spoke volumes ■for .the mercantile marine of New Zealand. :It was no .child's play for the master of - one of .;the, large vessels of to-day to_keep: the. time laid down-jfor Mm and: at "the'lame time protect v the safety, of .his ship, and when' one con-, sidered how few'thecasualties were there was reason to be .proud, of the class-of men who navigated onr/vessels. 'The Minister-referred in. a.complimentary, manner .'to the various; divisions of tile service, ;-and said ho felt proud' that many of the captains and incn having re; •sponstyle-positions -were..New Zealanders by" birth.:. It'; was unfortunate that thelqds.of (jhis.'country did- hot/seem'particularly 'keen to'begin atsea' life, but the day must'come ivhen the avenues on sbbre.:wouid be gradually.' closed.:.upj and':the. younger generation .would have .to take, tb'-the sea. . A sea.-.life,.however, was. now a'very different .thing; from what it was forty years ago.,'A. man could now have fair comforts the lifo'atsea. It was a.serious tendency that inthe British mercantile marine andeven in the Navy, the British seaman* .was' gradnall.y:' giving 'place to the foreigner. 'The; cause of that undoubtedly was that the sea had not been made sufficiently attractive, but , he thought it was begimjinu to be recognised, that .if we.desired to get our boys to go to ..sea and continue there, everything possible./must bo. done for' the welfare of those who go down to the sea in ships.Mr.'A. E. Mabin, in proposing the'toast ! of "Tho :■.;{ Shipping,. Companies,".., which; was. bweketed .with 1 the Minister's, ,ljis: toast .roforred more'.'particularly to the bwnersifofiiitbewhips.itradingfn:,New. Zealand waters./.''Spooking, of'. the ; ocean liners, he stated .that;all recognised the benefit . they Were, to the Dominion.. There wore 83,!ihips engaged in- the : overseas ..trade. • with . this country.-.-.As to-: the "Union Company, that ,waspart 'and parcel "of Now, Zealand; and they were all proud; that it was such a company as if;was'.: 'Eeforring_ to tho "mosquito fleet, he said that they hardly appreciated the value of those smaller vessels, in developing the trado of vthe country.' They were' carrying on the difficult shipping- trade of the country, .and he. ;was - afraid, they were doing so on> .rather charitable .lines. They..had adyerso circumstances to .'contend against, their freights were very, low, and .their business was not so pTofit•able'to the, owners as it: had been in 1 times past.:/:;-,/: ':s:■■'■-'■ .:■.!'■: '■■'■"..'.'•"■.'•■.:;' ■;'.• ' :/ : Captain Monro, of .tho Harbour Boaril's staff; ;.in the course of his reply to the former :toast,'.s,aid that the greatest new do ■parture !which the 'Union' Company had maile in ..the past few years ; had been the training ship Dartford. As the result of his experience he considered that if there was ho Dartford there ; would bo no really seamenliko, officers on 'the Union Company's' steamers in :twenty years':time.'!,:A sailor ; must serve his time.in a;:, sailing, vessel ;■; to ..becomo efficient in :his calling., .He 1 believed.that :if tho so-called industrial schools, were : done, away with, -and ;the Government bought a 'training ship, and used ithe-Amokiira as a'tender, they .would soon/have a mercantile. marine of New 'Zea-i landers. /-'■■ : '.:'..//..-.,.■ ■'''■■•' '.. '■ , ■..-.'■ .'-. ■ ,-Mr, : E. C. Eayner ' (Patea , . Shipping Company)', wjio replied to,the second-toast, as rc-ipresentuuj-:-tho "mosquito' fleet," said .that those i who were, connected, with that-fleet "in and; around 'Wellington.,had not done,' very .well (luring the past few years, but they/acted as feeders to the larger companies, and on tho whole/he 'thought that-their work was...not .badly carried ou't.-.-v i. . -.. - . ■'. -. '• ■•'., Mr. W. J. Hanlon(Johnston and Company) and Captain Hull (Maoriland. Steam Ship Company) also responded to the second.toast.. '-/■Mr. V. Mirpdith proposed the toast of "The Combined Companies' nnd 'TTnion Company's Football\Teams," .which was !responded to;'by their: respective: captains.':; :.■ . •■'■■ An excellent entertainment: nrogrammo l was made up'as follows:—Songs, Messrs!; V. R. Meredith,'Robertson, .E.Parkes, J. Carr, and W; Bastin;, comic sketches, Mr. P. Blandford; musical.' selections, Messrs. 'Watts, Gill,) Everard/. Kicnian,', and - Harbottle; illusions,! ,Mr.' K." S. Cowanj;lightning sketches,.Mr. W.. 18. .Watts. , The prograramo concluded with the singing of "Auli3/Lang Syne." ■ . -> '~