Carpenters' Motor

Ships

Inauguration of Service

THE new direct freight service between European and New Guinea ports, planned by Messrs. W. R. Carpenter and Co. Ltd., will be inaugurated this month, and it will be known as the WRC Line.

The motor vessel Rabaul (5600 tons) is leaving London this month for New Guinea, and thence will proceed to Aus tralia. She will call at Rabaul, Kavieng, Madang, and if required at Salamaua, a-nd is due in Sydney in October. She will be followed ten weeks later by the motor vessel Salamaua.

The route to be followed by the ships will be from Sydney, along the Queens land coast to New Guinea, and thence to Batavia, Suez Canal, and Continental ports.

These two newly-purchased Carpenter vessels are manned at present by British crews. It is reported, however, that if they meet unrestricted competition from the German ships which are operating in New Guinea (with their base at Hong- Kong) the British crews will be dispensed with and Chinese crews engaged instead.

The German ships are manned largely by Chinese. We understand that represen tations concerning this have been made to the Commonwealth Government.