SIXTEEN MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
Monday. January 21. 1957
Pacific Coast Shipping Prosperity Expected To Continue For Some Time
San Francisco (U.PJ George
Kiilion, president of American
President lines, summed up in
two words the outlook for Paci
fic coast shipping: "Never bet
ter." A United Press survey show
ed that passenger and freight
steamship lines serving the Paci
fic were in the midst of the big
gest boom since World War II.
The dollar value of foreign
trade in and out of West Coast
ports in 1956 was up 14 per cent
over the previous year.
More cargo moved to the Far
East on U.S. ships than ever be
fore. Total tonnage more than
doubled what it was when Shan
ghai and other north China ports
were open.
Tourist Number lo Increase
New liners will boost to 180,
000 the number of tourists vis
iting the Pacific this year dou
ble the 1956 total.
Biggest problem facing the in
dustry was to find more ships.
One solution was to pull World
War II freighters out of moth
balls. Another was to convert
mariner freighter hulls to liners.
In the midst of a multi-million
dollar liner construction
program was Matson Navigation
Co., whose president, Randolph
Sevier, predicted that the surge
rf tourists throughout the Paci
fic "is just getting started."
Americans definitely are on
the move, with more money to
spend and more leisure time in
which to spend it than ever be
fore in history," he said.
Matson has banked its faith in
the Pacific travel boom with the
remodeling of the Mariposa and
Monterey from mariner hulls to
passenger service to the South
Pacific, Australia and New Zea
land. In addition, Matson's flagship
Lurline will be joined on the
California-Hawaii run by the
Matsonia on June 11. The big
two-stack liner has been undei
going a $20 million reconstruc
tion job in an eastern shipyard.
The new Hawaiian Steamship
Co. will invade the lucrative Ha
waiian tourist trade on Feb. 5
when its 700-passenger Leilani
makes her maiden voyage from
California. The 18.000-ton Lei
lani is the former warbuilt
tioopship LaGuardia.
The British flag Orient Line's
six luxury liners will increase
from six to 10 their sailings
from the South Pacific to the
U.S. Pacific coast. And in 1960
the fleet will be bolstered by
the addition of the new 2,000
passenger liner Oriana.
Japan's NYK line, seeking to
regain its pre-war eminence, is
building two 22.000 ton fast lux
ury liners for service between
Japan and San Francisco. They
are expected to be ready by
1959.
Biggest new ship program has
been launched by American
President lines which is spend
ing S275 million for vessels of
all types, including a supcrliner
that will carry 1,400 passengers
on cruises to the Orient.
APL's new 14,000-ton Presi
dent Hoover, the former Pana
ma, will make her maiden voy
age to the Orient on Feb. 11
with 200 passengers.
About 40,000 of 180,000 pas
senger berths available this year
are on freighters, some of which
offer luxury accommodations
equal or superior to the liners.
Travel experts agreed that a
tcurist would get more for his
money on freighters, but that it
was possible to travel more
cheaply on a liner than on the
average freighter.
Western Business Leaders Expect
To Be Continued; Cautious Note I
Oakland, Calif. !U.R) Six
Western business leaders today
forecast continued prosperity
for the region in 1957 but add
ed a word of caution.
From several came warnings
that inflation, war and exces
sive government regulation
posed threats to the booming
economy of the Wes,t and the
nation.
The forecasts were contained
in the January issue of West
ward, monthly magazine pub
lished by Kaiser Steel Corp.
Executives quoted were T. S.
Petersen, president of Standard
Oil of California; Marriner S.
Eccles, chairman of Utah Con
struction Co.; Neil H. Jacoby,
dean of the UCLA graduate
school of business administra
tion; F. G. Gurley. president of
the Santa Fe Railroad; Harold
Quinton, president of Southern
California Edison Co., and Gen.
Joseph T. McNarney, president
of Convair Division of General
Dynamics Corp.
Petersen looked for another
record year for Western business
and industry.
"Sales for the petroleum in
dustry are anticipated to in
crease about 4 per cent over
1956, even though large quan
tities of natural gas will be avail
able for the first time in the Pa
cific Northwest," he said.
Eccles said war clouds over
the world were the major factor
affecting the business outlook,
especially in the steel and oil
industries and in governmental
expenditures.
"Second only to that is the
problem of preventing further
inflation, which diminishes the
desire to work, to save and plan
for the future, and like war
imperils the very existence of
our capitalistic democratic so
ciety." he said.
UCLA's Jacoby predicted con
tinued expansion, although at a
somewhat slower pace than in
1956.
He said the reelection of Presi
dent Eisenhower makes it "more
probable that the strong under
lying current of business con
fidence in the future will be
maintained" and that it was like
ly that "strong efforts will be
continued to prevent price infla
tion, as well as to forestall
serious business setbacks."
Gurley forecasts "continuing
high level of business activity
Prosperity
nterjected
in 1957," and Quinton said in
creasing productivity in every
sector of the industrial economy
resulted in increasing power con
sumption. He added that "the favorable
outlook for the electric industry
as a whole would not be realized
if companies should be subjected
to restrictive and unrealistic reg
ulation." Gen. McNarney said that due
to the international situation
heavy government spending for
defense weapons would con
tinue, with most of the procure
ment money for aircraft and
guided missiles being spent in
the West.
He added that space flight
presented "boundless opportun
ities for future growth" once dif
ficult problems are solved.
Not only were more ships
available for tourist travel, but
more hotel space was being
readied in Pacific basin coun
tries. Most of this construction
centered in Hawaii, mecca for
more than 100,000 tourists in
1955.
Other new hotel accommoda
tions were planned for Austra
lia, New Zealand, Bangkok and
Tokyo.
The cargo-carrying end of
West Coast shipping industry
also looked forward to smooth
sailing.
One big reason was U.S. eco
nomic aid to Asian nations in
the form of sale of surplus grain.
Under the "50-50 law" one-half
of the grain must be shipped in
U.S. flag vessels. Not enough
U.S. ships were available and
as a result the Federal Maritime
administration authorized the
"breaking out" of 25 World War
II victory ships in reserve fleets
at Susuin, Calif.; Astoria, Ore.,
and Olympia, Wash., for charter
to West Coast lines carrying the
grain to the Far East.
The ship shortage was largely
the result of the blockade of the
Suez canal. Cargoes were di
verted around Africa and
through the Panama canal and
charter rates climbed.
APL's Kiilion said the pros
perity also could be credited to
high levels of trade with the
Far East. He predicted substan
tial increases in 1957.
"The densely populated coun
tries of Japan and India have
made steady progress in their
respective economies and offer
especially bright prospects for
expanded trade during 1957," he
said.
"The Republic of the Philip
pines likewise is making great
progress toward a stabilized
economy which augurs well for
increased foreign trade."
Another promising note was
the labor peace on West Coast
waterfronts. All the maritime
unions are under contracts that
will not expire for at least 18
months
Several ports have launched
extensive programs of recon
struction and expansion in order
to grab as much of the coast's
shipping business as they could.
According to one estimate, each
ton of cargo that moved acrosj
a pier pumped $10 into the lo
cal area's commerce.
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