Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-10-17
WATERFRONT NOTES

Steamship Surgery Threatens Liners.
Steamship surgery has assumed q
constructive phase There is now =
growing tendency to bring big liners
up to date by splicing In new sec
tions on the lines adopted a few years
ago for the repair Of the White Star
boat Salevia.
Remarkable operations Of this char
acter are being conducted upon the
Clyde for the Thompson Line Of
steamships. Two important twin
screw boats, the Marathon and Milti-
AIDES. each 6.7S5 tons gross. are to be
SO treated that they VIII gain an ins
creased length Of 50 feet. an addi-
sional tonnage of 1,215 and proper
tionate increases in the passenger
and cargo accommodation.
The Marathon lis already in the
hands Of the ship surgeon. Messrs.
Alex. Stephen & Sons have cut her
into two from rain to rail. and, hav-
ing drawn the forward part ahead
for distance of so feet, are now en-
gagged in building a new section be-
tween the points OF severance. When
this is completed an additional funnel
will be added for the boilers.
The extraordinary part Of this OPP
GRAFTON lies in the fact that although
the tonnage win be increased nearly
and extra accommodation
provided for go thirdciass passen-
gers and so first-class passengers, It
IS estimated that the coal eunump-
ton and also the speed Of IL knots
will remain unchanged. The Militia
DIES. q sister boat built by Messrs.
Alex Stephen E Sons In 1904, will
undergo similar Operation" when
the Marathon leaves the dock In the
autumn.
Edit Tor Indian Trade.
In view of the fact that the com.
petition with the British-India Steam
Company is increasingly
keen and strenuous, the Nippon Yu-
sen Kaisha has decided, It Is reported,
to assign six ships to the Indian line.
and to extend the course as far as
Yokohama. The Hiroshima Maru,
which is to leave Calcutta September
10, is to commence this new schedule.
The b.. 8. N. Co., on the other
hand, has added six more vessels to
the line and at the present 26 ships
hre competing as hard as possible
with the N. Y. X. with the object Of
excluding it from the Indian course.
1t is said that the B.-I. s. n. Co. ships,
scheduled to SAIL ut the same time
With Japanese liners, effer ninety per
cent reduction in the fare, and in
some cases passengers are taken
aboard free. The British company
has already reduced the freight rate
by thfee-fourths and may go TO any
extent in reduction In the future.
Compromise between these two
companies appears improb-
able. judging from the policy of the
British firm and from the object with
which the n. Y. X. established the
line. When the course was opened
last September the N Y K. fully an-
ticipatd the present keen competi
ton, and had figured on q stupendous
ioss. The primary object of the Tok-
been to make q profit out of this par.
ticular line, but to stimulate and
promote Japan's trade with india.
Moreover, since this is only small
part of its business, the N. Y. X. will
not feel much handicapped by any
loss incurred in competition with the
British Company. ~ ~
The b.. s. N~Co., however, is
fighting for a monopoly of the In.
dian line in the hope OF forcing the
N. Y. K. out of the competition. It
seems to have a false opinion that
the N. Y. X. will withdraw its ships
from the line as the competition be