B.P. Fleet

All Running Despite Strike

T'HE whole of the Burns, Philp and Company’s Pacific Islands fleet was affected by the Australian seamen’s strike, and for a time it appeared that Pacific Islands residents would be caused serious inconvenience.

The Macdhui, Morinda, Malaita and Mon toro, however, were got away with volun teer crews with remarkably little delay, and the Pacific Islands services on the whole have not suffered very grave de rangement. Both the ship-owners and the Pacific Islands residents have suffered a good deal of loss and inconvenience—but it was small compared with the loss borne by the owners of Australian coastal liners

whose vessels have been tied up for nearly two months.

The B.P. timetables, of course, have been thrown completely out of gear, and those which have been tentatively arranged this month are still subject to “strike condi tions permitting.”

At the moment of this writing, January 22, it appears that the strike is collapsing, and it may be taken as reasonably certain that the Papua, New Guinea, Solomon Islands and New Hebrides services will be regularly maintained.

Islands residents have every reason to compliment Messrs. Burns, Philp and Co.

Ltd. upon their success in getting their ships moving with such little delay. The seamen on this occasion were in a particu larly ugly mood, and completely under the dominance of the militants; but the old B.P. firm apparently has among its ships’ crews a nucleus of solid, loyal men who stand by it in an emergency in very help ful fashion.