SHIPS AND THE SEA.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 94, 22 April 1911, Page 12

SHIPS AND THE SEA.

IMPERIAL SHIPPING. AUSTRALASIA TAKEN TO TASK. With the approach of the Imperial Conference, London journals are devoting some space to tie question of the imperial shipping, especially as concerning New Zealand and Australia. "Fairplay," in a lengthy article, has this to say on the matter :—: — "The Australasian representatives recognise dependence on the Imperial navy, and liberally and cheerfully contribute to its maintenance with the calls of Empire. They ought to bestow the same recognition on the claims of the merchant navy. That they have never properly done so is evident from the Navigation Bills passed by both Australiiu and New Zealand of recent years. What was agreed on former occasion but has practically got 'no forwarder,' is that merchant shipping legislation should be uniform throughout the Empire. . And it will have to be achieved if we are to preserve th© supremacy of British shipping, without which the> glory of the British Empire will depart. The future prosperity of the Empire most of us now think dependa upon the application of the principle of Imperial Preference — that is to say, in conserving for the several members of the Empire the privileges of trade within the Empire. But tihat policy does not cover such a policy as New Zealand, for instance, institutes in legislation for local , shipping to the prejudice of Imperial shipping. The design of the. New Zealand measure seems to lie to secure the monopoly of traffic within the Dominion for a Colonial Company as, if to exclude the interColonial operations of a British Company which carries on the mail and other connection between the Colonial States and the Mother Country. It is obviously not Imperial poh'cy to legislate colonially 'for the assumed' advantage of colonial enterprises at the expense of national — which are really Imperial — enterprises. , . To penalise its inter-coionial and coasting branches is to penalise its Imperial functions. This is a view of the matter that New Zealand statesmen do not seem, to have taken, but which should be made abundantly clear at the coming conference. It should not be possible for any member of the Empire to legislate anta- J gonistically to Imperial interests, how- ! ever carefully it cares for, ancl is to be ! -supported in earing for, its own. The same remarks apply to the coasting navigation laws of "Australia. "STEPPING BEYOND THE RIGHT." "Now it isi all very well for Australia to lay down the rule that it is, and will always remain, a white man's country, and to forbid the immigration and settlement of ally of the coloured races. That may be accorded as within the rights oi the makers of a new country. But> rt is stepping beyond that right when a colonial Government forbids a British ship employing coloured labour, even when that labour is subject to the British crown, to enter its ports or to have the privileges of ordinary traders. We aie well aware of all the a/rguments whereby th© Australians support the exclusion of the employment -of Lascar crews or part crews in British vessels visiting colonial ports. But they cannot stand for a moment before the Imperial argument, and they cannot stand before the practical argument of use and wont. As the consideration of naturalisation as British subjects generally is to form a leading part of the occupation of th© conference, this matter relating to shipping should receive more practical attention than it has yet had from, politicians, and more, rational and businesslike treatment." JANUARY CASUALTIES. The number and net tonnage of British vessels respecting whose loss reports were received at the Board of Trade during the month of January, 1911, and the number of lives lost, are as follow.: — Net Lives No. tonnage, lost. Sailing ... 50 4,594 34 Steam ... 23 7,982 Total 73 12,576 56 The above table is a record of reports received in the month, and not of wrecks which occurred during the month. Many of the reports received in January relate to casualties which occurred in previous months. The figures include the losses of 10 sailing vessels of 1143 tons, and 7 steamers, of 2324 tons, belonging to British possessions abroad. Casualties not resulting in total loss of vessels, and the lives lost by such casualties are not included. AMERICAN STATISTICS. I On the 30th June last United States merchant marine comprised 25,740 vessels of 7,508,082 tons gross, an increase during the year of 52 vessels and 119,327 I tons. Of this tonnage 3,517,132 tons were employed on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, 918,489 tons on the Pacific coasts, and 2,895,102 tons on the Northern Lakes. The total includes 8947 sailing ships of 1,655,473 tons, of which 8811 of 1,405,692 tons were constructed of wood. The tonnage registered for the foreign trade totals 782,517 tons gross, which, with the exception of the year 1898, is the smallest total for 70 years. In the year ending 30th June last American ships caa-ried 8.7 per cent, of the country's exports and imports, which, with the exception of 1901, is the smallest percentage in the history of the country. SAILORS AND PARLIAMENT. A couple of Bills have been introduced j into the House of Commons for the benefit of seamen. One of these is Sir A. Williamson's Bill to facilitate the recording of votes at' Parliamentary elecI tions by sailors, fishermen, and others. It is proposed that those who cannot attend personally to exercise the franchise shall be allowed to post their voting papers, or leave them before the day of the poll in the hands of an official appointed for the purpose. Many measures with a like object have from time to time been brought forward, but none of them have succeeded, although the case of the sailor is undoubtedly a hard one. The difficulty has always been to produce a really practicable scheme. Of a more useful type, probably, is a Bill for giving additional facilities in connection with the granting of seamen's allotment notes — those* useful documents which provide, or ought to provide, for the sailor's wife and family while he is at sea. At pnasent, apparently, no allotment note can be granted for more than half the sfjaman's pay, and notes cannot be granted at more frequent intervals than one month. There are 'shipowners at Liverpool, it seems, who, in the interest*! of eeamen and their families, take the risk of granting larger and more freq'u-ent allotments than the law allows, ffhey want the law amended, so that the reform they have introduced may bfxx>me more general. Certainly it appears very undesirable that, \shile inadequate provision is made for his wife and family in his absence, the seaman should on his return often draw so large a sum in wages as to invite dissipation.

A sailing ship of about 3100 tons gross, built" afc Hamburg for the firm of P. Laeisz, .was launched on the 25th February, and named the Peking.