The Tramp's Services To the Editor of the "Nonru-Ciawa Datcy News"
Smy—With reference to an article Ju the Baitorial Columns of to-day of your Journal under the head ing "Japan Looks Ahead" you state that "ten or twelve knots are use nowadays" and that "vessels of such speed are inadequate to meet mer cantile completion." grant you that for cargo vessels running "on. definitely-established trade routes such speeds are totally Inadequate to meet the demands international seabome trade, Such "cargo mere of at ive bein: cipal shipowning countries for some considerable time now "have been esigned for speeds varying between fifteen to eighteen knots, "But. what about the tramp? When it comes to vessels "in this category, whether steamer or motorship, ten or twelve knots are by no means Useless, Long experience has "taught shipowners that for the carriage of homogeneous cargoes by tramp. vessels ten 10 leven, or perhaps even twelve knots the most economical speed. Moreover with freight rates of the various Fecognized tramp cargoes standing as they' are to-day" the construction of fosier vessels for' these cork transportation would be an economic impossibility even with a generous government subsidy." Tramps do not Become naval auxiliaries in mes' of emergency and so speed on that acfount does not come into the ques-Reuter's cable from Tokyo Sandan! day outlining. the Japanese Ministry of Communications' scheme for the encouragement. of the building 2-knot vessels "does not make It Guite clear whether "such" vessels would be used as tramps, I othe think not. 'The. idea of carrying {ramp cargoes at 20-nots 1s 1udlerous Imagine the ancial condition Japanese concern owning a 20-Knot amp vessel of say' 8000 tons deadweight capacity which accepted say 4 cargo of timber British Columbia' North China at'£4,000 lump sum or they went farther afield" which practice it'seems is going 10 be encouraged hereafter) a cargo of wheat South Australla/U, i. Continent at 28/- or even River Piate/tull range U.K. Continent at 18/~, 'The pro posed subsidy' of. £600,000" would soon be eaten up and much more needed make ends meet, submit that the day of the 10/11 knot tramp is by no means ended, There will always be homogeneous cargoes for carriage at, those: speeds even "though 20+) not "cargo liners". may be built to carry better-paying freight on established tines, Sule for me to say that in just over year one well-known shipbuilding acorn in England alone has received from experienced British less than. eighteen economy type" motor ships designed to carry 9,200 tons deadweight at 11 knots with a fuel consumption of 6 tons per 24 hours.
Shanghai, July 3.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.