Fight for Pacific Trade

America Challenges Japan Huge Ship-Building Programmes

A BIG commercial war between.

America and Japan has been laun ched for the trade supremacy of the Pacific.

During recent months, building pro grammes to the extent of £20,000,000 have been laid down by the Dollar Line, the Matson Line and the Nippon.

Yusen Kaisha. Other lines, whose de velopmental programmes bring them in to the competition for Pacific trade, are the Oceanic and Oriental Navigation Company, the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company, the Los Angeles Steamship Company, and the Osaka, Shosen Kaisha Lines: the Barber Line; Furness-Withy; and Trans-At lantic Line of Sweden.

Apart from the £20,000,000 program mes other developments on a vast scale indicate a new activity in the Pacific.

It is estimated that a quarter of the inter-coastal west-bound freight of America is now transhipped to the Or ient; and the Oceanic, Oriental and Dollar Lines have recently restablished a refrigerated freight service across the Pacific for Californian fruits and veget ables in the East.

Big development works are in pro gress at Los Angeles, where an attempt is being made to wrest the port suprem acy of the West Coast from San Fran cisco. The Matson Line has just estab lished a direct freight service between.

America and the Phillipines. Nippon.

Yusen Kaisha have placed three new “super-excess” liners on the America- Japan run, and these are securing a larger proportion of the tourist trade.

The Osaka Shosen Kaisha has re plied with five motor liners for round the-world trips, and the New York-Los Angeles East lines.

The activities of the Barber Line.

Furness-Withy and Trans-Atlantic fleets into the Pacific is a new develop ment.

The fight is being waged not only in the sea and across the railway sys tems of America. The Goodyear Rub ber Company has announced its plans for the establishment of a dirigible air ship service between Los Angeles and Hawaii, and the Matson Line has es tablished its own radio service station at a cost of £400,000.

Australia and New Zealand, the Dutch East Indies, the Malay, and the South Pacific are all included in the field of battle.—U.E.

Threat To U.S.S. Co.

A press cablegram from San Fran cisco, to The Sun, published on Septem ber 6, said: “The latest plans for replacement of ships in the Matson line are said by shipping men here, to be the first bid in an attempt to divert Australian traf fic from the South Sea Islands and Vancouver route to the San Francisco route.”