STEAM SPEEDS AT SEA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 11110, 6 May 1911, Page 6

STEAM SPEEDS AT SEA.

MAHENO AND OTHERS. WHAT IT COSTS TO KEEP THEM UP. TALK WITH SIR J. MILLS. (By TelcEraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, May 5. Sir James Mills (.managing director of tho Union Steam Ship Company) who is passing through Auckland on his way to Canada and England, was interviewed to-day on tho much-discussed question of tho time occupied hy tho company's steamers between Sydney and Auckland, and the possibility of accelerating tho service in, the interests ot' tho travelling public and tho quicker delivery of mails.

Maheno Causing Anxiety. "I have heard that there is an agitation in Auckland to bring about an acceleration of tho present service," said Sir James Mills to t'ao interviewer in answer to mention of the letter recently sent to him on tho subject by the president of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, but Mr. Myers's letter onlyreached Dunedin on the morning that I left, so that I did not have time to consider a reply before leaving, though an answer will bo sent in duo course. As to tho growing requirement of tho trado and the time occupied in the passago, I may say that the company is quite alive to the importance of the trado between Auckland and .Sydney, and wo also recognise that, for some time past, tho Maheno has not maintained the speed for which she was designed. This has certainly been causing some anxiety, but steps aro being taken to so improve the vessel that, in future, she will be able to maintain a speed of fifteen cr sixteen knots. A speed of fifteen knots would mean a run of three days 14 lours between Sydney and Auckland, so that a boat, leaving Sydney at. 3 p.m. on Wednesday, would reach this port about six or seven o'clock on Sunday morning and, as there have never been steamers on tho run to exceed that average speed, I do not see how it can bo argued that, fifteen or twenty years ago, tho passago was made in a few hours over the three davs.

What Steam Speeds Cost. "As a matter of fact," wsnt on Sir James Mills, "from our point of view a 15-knot service is ample for tho requirements of tho trado while, at present, it is also as much as can reasonably, be expected, seeing that tho company's boats havo to be urn as nearly, as possible on a profitable "working margin. To show you what it means to us—this matter of increased speed—approximately speaking, a fifteen-knot steamer of the Maheno class must earn £6000 a month to cover the cost of running, depreciation, etc., while it would be necessary for a steamer capable of maintaining a speed of from seventeen to eighteen knots to earn something like £10,000 a month, and a vessel of twenty knots (which w&uld make tho passage from Sydney to Auckland in sixty-four hours, -arriving hero'on the morning of the third day) no less a sum' than £15,000 per month.

"These figures, of course, aro approximate, but I give them in order that the public may bo able, to appreciate tho seriousness of the question involved in constructing steamers of largely-increas-ed speed. The company have to consider tho -matter from a commercial noint of view, and with tho hopo of making some small margin of profit on tho working of their vessels, and it seems very unlikely that any increased earnings would justify such an enormous increased cost of running for somo time to come.

Interesting Indead. ;■ "Of course, if an accelerated service is wanted for mail purposes it could easily Do secured if tlio Government considered the matter of sufficient importance' to justify them in affording suitable assistance. ' I must confess that my own feeling is that, in view of possible developments in respect of the propulsion of steamers in the near future, wo should -bo content at present with our fifteeh7knot , services. It seems quite possible that, beforo long, the internal combustion machino-engino may bcc.omo an accomplished fact, 'and this will necessarily lead to further great developments in connection with stealners, both for passenger and cargo purposes." , Questioned on tho prospects of an imnroved service for the proposed Auckland Exhibition, Sir James Mills remarked: —"You may depend on it that wo will_ provide, ample . facilities for such an excellent purpose. I am satisfied that an exhibition in Auckland would prove a great attraction to our Australian friends, and would draw a large number of pcoplo to New Zealand, and, to encourage and moot the expected increase of traffic, you may rely on tho Union Company providing an adequate steam service. The Vancouver steamers will then be calling hero regularly, and, by that time also, thero will bo further additions to our plant. New and up-to-dato steamers are already contemplated. Thero is, for instance, tlie Maunganui, a. very fine steamer, somewhat larger than the Marama, and, in some respects, an improvement on that vessel. She will bo available, in addition, probably, to several other contemplated additions to our fleet."