Trade Drive By New French Company
p. 87 · Read in the full issue
French trade and shipping interests are to make a more concentrated effort in Pacific regional trade, especially to try and capture business on the Sydney-Tahiti run.
Two French companies, Mes sageries Maritimes and the Ballande group (merchant traders) have formed a new company called Union Maritime du Pacifique Sud (or South Pacific United Lines). It is registered in Vila.
One of the directors, Mr. Jean Girardon, manager of Messageries Maritimes in New Caledonia, told PIM in Noumea that the new line had chartered the Gange from MM and hopes to take in other ships,
possibly the Polynesie. ( Gange, in early June, was in Sydney—one of the French ships hit by the sudden Australian union boycott of French ships and aircraft).
The new company will serve Sydney, Noumea, Lautoka, Suva and Papeete, then Melbourne, with a five week round schedule.
Gange has a cargo capacity of 12,600 cubic metres with 115 cubic metres refrigeration space. The opera tors plan to increase the refrigerated space to 200 cubic metres.
Managing director of South Pacific United Lines is Mr. Maurice Gayet, general manager for the Pacific of Messageries Maritimes, in Sydney.