JAPANESE MERCANTILE MARINE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1770, 7 June 1913, Page 6

JAPANESE MERCANTILE MARINE.

BUYING UP NEW TONNAGE. AUSTRALIAN LINES SECURED. The purchase by Japanese of the P. and O. branch liners Narrung and Wakool, recently announced by cable, stated by the Sydney "Telegraph" to bo part of a big scheme by Japauess in gathering up all available steam tonnage in tho East. A feature of the activity lies in the purchase of vessels from abroad for registration'at Dairen. Detailed regulations for the registration, etc., of vessels in the leased territory wero issued by tho Port Arthur Government-General at tho close of 1011. By these regulations vessels registered in the, leased territory aro entitled to fly tho Japanese flag, though when in Japan they aro treated as vessels registered in a foreign country. Tho duties and registration fees payable in Japan proper on vessels imported from abroad being considerable, Japanese shipowners hare been eager to tatoe advantage of tho regulations in forco in the leased •territory to purchase vessels for registration at Daii'cn, where no duties are levied, and seventeen foreign vessels, with a gross, tonnage of 49,815 tons, were bought and registered at Dairen between the beginning of 1912 and the end of January, 1913. Of theso vessels 12 wero ■ British, with a gross tonnage of 40,08-1 tons. Negotiations wero also proceeding for tho purchase of several; other _ foreign steamers, reports the Acting British Consul at Dairen, and it is probable that, the above number will be , considerably increased during tho year. ' This introduction of foreign vessels is chiefly because the shipbuilding yards in Japan havo for tlio last few years been nnablo to keep paco with tho increasing demand for vessels, and is also due to the fact that, as no subsidy is payable by the Government to any but regular lines of steamers, the heavy duties which have to be p?.M mako it unprofitable to import steamers from abroad for registration in Japan proper. According to an officer of one of the steamers now in Port Jackson from tho Bast, Japanese shipping firms recently seoured an option and closed a deal for tho purchase of four steam-srs of largo c-apaoity, to be converted into passenger and freight carriers. The British steamer Purley, 4200 tons, recently purchased by tho Liaotnng Steamship Co., has been renamed tho Asnmasan Maru. The British steamer Dunblane has been purchased by tho Kanamori Steamship Co.. Hakodate, at tho cost of 2-10,000 yen. She was formerly tho property of the Dundedin S.S. Co., Loitli, and was built in 1897 by Messrs. Roper and Son, Stockton. Her gross tonnage is 3740, and a net tonnag-a of 2107.

The Kishimoto Steamship Co. of Dairen lias purchased from the British India Steam Navigation Co. the steamer Waroonga for registration at Dairan. -She will be falcon delivery ,of by tho new owners at Bombay shortly. The Waroonga has a gross tonnage of 2513 and a net tnnnago of IGO9, and wa= built in 1882 at Glasgow bv A. ar.d J. Inglis. The Liaotung Steamship Co. of Dairen hns purchased the Anstro-Hungarian Alberta (4040 tons) for delivery at Kobo, and intend to havo her registered at Dairen. She is well equipped as a cargo boat, and will ba employed as an oceangoing steameT. Tlio company has reclvristencd her tho Atagosan Maru. She was built in 1900 at Glasgow by Messrs. Russell and Co.