No Subsidy for Aorangi

UNLESS there are new developments regular passenger sea-travel across the Pacific will cease at the end of January when the Canadian Australasian Line vessel, Aorangi, is withdrawn.

After war-time service, Aorangi was reconverted in Sydney for the Sydney- Vancouver passenger trade, and resumed the service in August, 1948. Although there was no opposition on this route (except from the airways) and although passenger accommodation was fully booked, the company has sustained enor mous losses. Last year the company asked the Governments of Canada, Australia and New Zealand to pay a subsidy to keep the liner on the run. New Zealand was Willing to pay its share but Australia and Canada were not. The company then announced on July 3, that they would Withdraw Aorangi when she reached Sydney at the end of January.

It was hoped that the Australian and Canadian governments would reconsider their decision not to pay a subsidy in order to keep the sole remaining pas senger ship on the Pacific service. But so far they have not done so.

It has been suggested that the day of the passenger ship on the Pacific routes is over and that they should fade away gracefully in favour of air services. This seems a ridiculous argument—it is not through lack of public support that liners like the Aorangi have' to be withdrawn, but because of other post-war devetop rnents that have made their operation Uneconomic. Both air and sea transport have a place but where time is not a factor, the majority of travellers still prefer to travel long distances by sea.

So-called HdMlar-restrictions resulting jin lack of Jreight between Australia and New Zealand and North America is one in the withdrawal of the Aorangi. ,Enormously increased costs as a result of |Australia’s 40-hour week, increased de mands by maritime unions and general reluctance to work at all, is another.

When -the Aorangi was refitted after the ..war, her passenger accommodation was reduced in order that her crew could have

better quarters. There probably is no reason why seamen should not have com fort, but the demands of Unionists and their general abuse of privileges in recent years has so sickened those at the receiv ing end that one is permitted to hope that the withdrawal of the Aorangi is Nemesis overtaking them. Unfortunately, there probably still are more berths than there are sailors to fill them—unless as the prophets tell us, the passenger ship era really is over.