AMERICAN WEST COAST TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1902, 10 November 1913, Page 2

AMERICAN WEST COAST TRADE.

Acsording to a Now York newspaper, San Francisco is to bo tho western base in North America of tho Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, For a service to San Francisco' froni Europe by way of the, Panama Canal nine new steamers are in course of construction at Belfast and Govan, the expectations being th«t they will all bo ready for delivery in the autumn of nest. year. Tho vessels are to havo extensive accommodation for jisssongers., provision being mad© for 600 in tho first class, 250 jn the second class, and 1000 in the third class. In rc-Bpect of thei? equipment the- 6hips will be thoroughly modern, and therefore calculated--to make the most of .whatever traffic oilers. The owners apparently believe that a -great deal of patrcnago is practically certain to_ be bos to wed upon a line to San Francisco by .way. of Panamas . Mr. E. J. Nasiu in tha course of an interview, expressed tho opinion that this route to America's great Pacific port will be much stater and cheaper than the present on? through New York. On their record to dato t'ho controllers of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Compare are excellent judges of shipping prospects. Theor enterprise, therefore, of a direct sea service to San Francisco is significant- But obviously the-open-ing of tho Panama Canal will- make peSsiMe large developments of their American West Const trades. San Francisco may.' be the northern .limit of their operations, hut the centre of them must bo the Panama Canal, for here it will bo possible to -liiik up all the different omutations with which they are ftt \ present dovolomg' tho trades -of South and Central America. At present they liavo (57 vessels in 'the 'W&st Coast' trade and in the near future the number i's certain' to bo considerably increased, to, the advantage of British trading ui that pavt of tho world Indeed, the strong position. Whicli the Etfyal Mail Steam Pftdcet 00-TOpaviy and ft-e Pacific Seam NavigfJtioii Company already w> tlrtso waters is a matter upon yhich the British' mercantile jnwTino is entitled to congratulate itself; , .