After dealing with the construction of "B'" class ships for the Australian emigrant and cargo: business, the report states that. work is proceeding on the four large mail and passenger steamers Moldavia, Mongolia, Maloja and Mooltan, the two last mentioned of which have been launched and will probably be completed by April or May. The directors hope to get delivery of the other two ships towards the end of the year.
After enumerating the ships lost by enemy action during the war the report: gives a list of the ships that had to be re-conditioned after war service. In this connexion it says s—5
The loss of so many vessels and the delay in getting back those which had to be reconditioned has. materially handicapped the company in carrying on the Eastern, Far Eastern and Australian mail services, and it has been necessary" on occasions to utilize the intermediate class of steamer to carry the mails, involving a certain amount of irregularity in arrivals at both ends. But_ the weekly services to and from India and the fortnightly service to.and from China have been maintained, and a four weekly service alternating with the Orient, four weekly service to and from Australia has been in operation for some time, thus giving a fortnightly service.
When the company gets delivery of the large mail steamers at present under construction the situa~ tion will be materially improved.
Coxpitions or Trape.
During the first six months of the year the steamers were able to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.