A SHIPPING CHALLENGE

Hokitika Guardian, 27 July 1929, Page 7

A SHIPPING CHALLENGE

THE TAHITI TRADE

SAN FRANCISCO, June 24. Fortified by American dollars, the Matson Navigation Company, of San Francisco one of the richest steamship lines in the world, has decided upon a programme of expansion in the Pacific chat will carry this company far afield from its modest beginning initiated by -cs founder, the late Captain William Matson half a century ago. Not only is the Matson Line going .o establish 'a service between the Pacific Coast and the Philippines, but .bis distinctive Ameiican shipping con era lias far greater ambitions, it is nderstood in. San Francisco. Invasion of the Los Angeles-Honol-,du trade, heretofore smugly held by ue Los' Angeles Steamship Company, s planned liy. tho Matson Company, .ccording to information which comes torn ah authoritative source. Also, tile- Matson Line, with a view o making a tourist paradise out of bo Pacific, will later include Tahiti, South Seas gem, in its itinerary of all of its fine American ships. . (Steamship communication ttejtween Tahiti and the great Pacific Coast ports, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Portland, has long been held exdlulsively under thre British dag by time Union Steamship Commy of New Zealand. There is to be a change in so far as Tahiti relations ith the Pacific mainland is concerned. ' Tire Matson people ard known to ,e casting eyes upon this attractive possession of tlie French for its tourst lure. Just how the cat ill jump in this connection'has not been disclosed. The building of two of the finest vessels under the American flag Is hortly to be announced by the Matron Line. Ostensibly these two ships are ifor the San Francisco-Sydney rnde, Ibut it is rumoured that there ,-)ll be a re-routing which will include Los Angeles. While the Matson Line has potenial tourist accommodation plans, the Union Steamship Line, a British flag •oneern, has not been caught in siesta. The latter line has now building two modern motor ships on the Clyde, Scotland, superior to the great Aorand, now plying in the trade between Australia and Vancouver. With these wo fine ships in commission about two years hence the Union Line will be in i position to meet competition of tlie Matson Line with its new ships. Foreshadowing the coining imp > tance of the Pacificas a trade area and •iitablisliing irnore firmly San Francisco’s position as the dominant pari in trans-Pacific shipping, the Matson Navigation Company has announced the inauguratour of a fast freight ser■ice between San Fraue.sc'j and Los Angeles and the Philippine B'amis. L'his new service will be opened with the sailing of the steamer Maliko on July 12. Transit time will be twenty three days as compared with former schedules .requiring generally thirty days and transhipment of cargo.