MAMMOTH ATLANTIC LINERS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 9, 6 October 1919, Page 3

MAMMOTH ATLANTIC LINERS

COSTLY AND PROFITLESS

SPEED AT EXPENSE OF COMFORT

Tho announcement cabled from Now York that the United States Shipping Board has arranged to build two mam- ' moth liners, 1000 feet in length, and capable of steaming 30 knot's, has created only a very slight flutter in British . shipping circles. ; The Atlantic is already familiar with leviathans almost as large as those contemplated by the Americans,-'and tho general experience on this side is that these huge vessels aro not profitable investments, and cannot possibly bo run unless heavily subsidised. In the course of several interviews with leading members of the British companies interested in the Atlantic trade, a representative of "Tho Observer" gathered valuable expert opinions in regard to the impending competition. "So far as 1 can see," said Mr, Charles P. Torrey, chairman of the Atlantic Transport Company and of the Leyland Line, "these mammoth liners can be kept goinj only 'if tho United States Government undertake to bear tho cost of running them. They will not—they cannot—bo a commercial success. Experience has proVcd that. The expenses of running and upkeep are far too heavy to admit or profits. "Toko the case of the ex-German linors, the Leviathan, once known as the Vaterlaud, and the Imperator, tho two largest merchant vessels afloat. They are respeciively 807 niul 882 feet in length, While under the German flag in pre-war days, neither of these liners was a commercial success, and I see no reason why they are likely to prove profitable under the Stars and Stripes, s Cost of Increased Speed, "The problem of making the proposed new liners a paying proposition will be .considerably more difficult especially as it is intended to increase the speed from about 23 or 24 to 30 knots. To attain even the lower speed, which is reckoned high as far as the Atlantic is concorned, is very costly; but the additional six or sevon knots will mean a most disproportionate increased expenditure on tuel. Over and above a certain steaming capacity each extra knot is an enormous expense. TherOi is "a regular formula upon which this cost can be calculated, but it is rather too technical for the general public. "it must bo remembered," Mr. Torrey continued, "that these huge Atlantic liners are not cargo-carriers: they are simply and solely passenger ships—floating hotels in fact, equipped with almost every - luxury and convenience. This being the case, their money-earning period is practically limited to the midsummer months—at most from mid-May to mid-September—when the tourist season is at its height. During that period, in pre-war days, the great rival liners, both British and German, were filled to ■their utmost capacity, but during the rest of the year they rarely if ever carried anything like their'full complement of passengers. The cost of running and upkeep generally, however, did not diminish. "Another practical point to be borno tn mind is that these very fast ships are not very plus'ant to travel in. ' Very few people, I imagine, would care to cross the Atlantic in a destroyer. The discomfort and inconvenience would not, of course.- be so marked in tho case of n hime liner. Nevertheless, groat speed is not. conducive fo comfort. "Another matter which may or may not weigh with travellers," Mr. Torrey added, "is that the United States, having 'gone dry,' as the current saying "is ; those new liners, if they fly the Stars and Stripes, will have to be run dry. That would not be an attraction to a certain class of passenger,. and it would most' certainly affect the bookings." Whether the British shipping companies will foci called upon to pick up tho gauntlet and build competing liners on a similar scale, was a point on which Mr. Torrey preferred to express no opinion. The Question of Docking. "As regards adequate dock accommodation on this side," ho remarked in regard to anothor aspect of tho question, "there would bo no difficulty so-far as Southampton is concerned.- These ships miriit also be accommodated at Liverpool, though ot some risk, not so much owins to the bur' in the Mersey as to tho formation of tho docks, which does not lend itself to vessels .of extreme length. There would be considerable risk in docking and undocking such large ships. At Southampton, on the other hand, thev would not have to go through any locks; •they would go straight into a tidal dock." 4 Asked how tho British shipping &>mpanies viewed the impending competition. Mr. Torrey replied:— "So long as the American authorities do not 'sacrifice- the capital involved, the competition is not much to be feared. But as suori as they realise that to bo successful these vessels must be put on a commercial basis/and if the authorities do what Is necessary do place them on a parity with the mercantile fleets of other nations, then this competition will be serious. At present the United States are quite in earnest in their resolve to creato a strong mercantile marine, but Congress may have a voice in the matter before long;' And Congress is doubtless aware of tho fact that a subsidised concern is never run economically." The Most Profitable Liner. "It is all very well and in its way quite commendable for tho big shipping companies to strive for the blue riband of the Atlantic, not only as regards size, but speed. Shipowners, however, have to earn profits lfke other business men, and they cannot afford these costly unprofitable advontuies. Personally, I beHbvs the most profitable Atlantic liner of Mio future will be oi the intermediate type-good cargo capacity, comfortable j passenger accommodation, and a moderate rate of speed, say, 18 to 20 knots. To tho vast majority of voyagers the saving of a few hours or even a day or so on tho passage is not a matter of tho least moment. Certainly to them it is not worth the oxtra expense involved. For this reason the talk ot establishing a terminal at Oiftlvray or Londonderry, just as it is now propose: to establish a terminal at I'ort Pond Bay, Montauk Point, Long Island in order to shorten the sea voyage from .New York to this side, lias never got beyond the academic stage. Vei the Galway schemo lias been talked about', oft and on, for the last twenty-five years. It has alwavs been sholved because of its commercial impracticability: it was not a sound business proposition "Of course, I have not the least doubt that there will always be a certain wealthy class prepared to patronise these costly mammoth liners; to them money is no object; they love- novelty and extravagance; they would cross the Atlantic by aeroplane or by the R34 n it were available. But this class represent a very small minority of tho Atlantic passenger traffic. And tho shipping companies that want to pay dividends must cater for the many and not for tho few." . _________„