British Ships in Pacific

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 52, 24 November 1937, Page 5

British Ships in Pacific

-Press 'Assn.

PLAN MODIFIED? Anglo-U.S. Pact May Make Scheme Unnecessary GQYERNMENTS MEETING

(Bj Telesrraph-

— CoDrrifht.)

(Beeeived 24, 12.45 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 23. Speaking in the House of Commoiis, Mr Oliver Stanley, President of tho Board of Trade, said that the English, Australian and New Zealand Governments were conferring on the position. cf British shipping in the Pacific. He was not in a position to make a. statement on whether financial arrangemente had been xeacbed for the building of the new ships. He was aware of tho concern, hut ihe matter depended o* other countri.es besides Britain. "We are preparei to play our part," he added. ■ A Canberra message reports: The plans which have been under consideration in the last two years to safeguard British shipping interests in the Pacific are likely to be substantially modified and possibly may become unnecessary if the hopes for a trade agreement and general agreement for mutual co-opera-t-ion between the Empiir o and tho United States are realised. Three months ago an agreement between Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada for provision of financial assistance for the construetion of. two fast modern passonger ships to carry the British flag in the Pacific was ott the verge of completion; nQr Mr Lyons has announced that the discus* sions which followed the hiteh in the plans threw the whole proposals into Ihe melting-pot. The correspondent of the 'Australian Associated T)ress learns that only tho final word from the. British Government, which is expected in * very short time, stands in the way of a public announcement of the details of the Oanadian - Australasian Pacific liners. It is understood that Sir Edward Beatty, ehairman of the • Canadian Pacific Bailway, through whom the announcement probably will be made, has confided to friends that the plans are completed down to the smallest detail and that contracts for various divisions of the construetion work are ready for signature. • Bepresentatives of .the line are aseertaining the possibilities of traffie and arranging future alignments on bookings throughout the. TJnited States. The two. ships, for which complete plans and specifications have been in readiness for a considerable time, will be high-class passenger liner's of about 22,000 tons gross Tegister, with alength of more than 700 feet and a service speed of about 22 knots, geared-tur-bines being the systom of propulsioBj