A new Portuguese shipping line with a monthly service has been inaugurated between Lisbon and ithe Eaist, and it is hoped that it will prove an portant step in improving trade between these centres.
The Transportes Maritimes do Estado, which is the name of the new company, will have a monthly service between Lisbon and important points in the. Far East. All the necessary arrangements have now been completed, including the appointment of Portuguese representatives at the different ports of call, and-the first: mail steamer is already on its way to the East. Messrs. Botelho Bros, 11, Peking Road, have been appointed the Shanghai agents, All the ships used by the new company are former German steamers which took refuge in Portuguese ports at the outbreak of the war and were later seized when Portugal declared war on the Central Powers. Later the British Government took them over, using them for war work. They have now! been returned to the Portuguese Government and handed over to the Transportts Maritimes de Estado. One steamer, the Quelimane _(ex-Kronprinz, 5.689 tons) left Lisbon on January 6 for Shanghai, via ports. Further boats will be added in due course.
There are 19 ships at present available, of which the Quelimane is one of the largest. Following is a list of them Gross Name. German Name. Tonnage. Coimbra Antares 2,512 Congo Infraban. Men-zoll 3, Gaza Hot 4,705 Gel Eanes Lahneck 1,775 Goa Lichtenfels 5,608 Granja Pecador 765
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.