American Co-operation

No New Liners For

Trans-Pacific

May Be Factor in Anglo- American Co-operation

JT appears now that two years of highly- L coloured talk about the provision by the Empire Governments of two 22,000tonners, to run from Australia to North America, in competition with the Ameri can Matson Line, has come to nothing.

An apparently inspired article in the Sydney Sun on November 16 said that nothing more had been heard and “high ship-building costs may have caused a temporary delay.”

It is further indicated that instead of the two 22,000-tonners carrying on the trans-Pacific service, the Aorangi and Niagara will slightly a’terth°ir itinerary.

On the outward from Sydney to North America thev will run as at pre sent, but on the return voyage they will run from Vancouver to San Francisco, and thence to Honolulu and Australia.

This is not a very impressive plan after all the references to the need for maintaining the prestige of British shin ping in the Pacific* and it is not yet the basis of an official announcement How ever, there appears to be something in it.

It is possible that there is some connec tion between this development and the announcement, late in November that discussions of a very serious character are proceeding between Britain and the United States, with a view to the com pletion of a trade agreement of a closer character than has ever before been known.