‘WAR DIARY. ARMY HEADQUARTERS, INDIA. […] I.E.F. “D”. Volume 41. PART I. (From 1st to 31st December 1917).’ [‎223r] (450/556)

in the administration of the fleet are equal to the best records of any lar^e
shipping company working in their own interests that I have experience of. °
The diflicult problem to be solved with economy is the conveyance of the
very light and sometimes very awkward nature of the shipments, as for
instance hay, fodder and firewood which measures between 160 and 180 cubic
feet to the 20 cwt. and railway rolling stock which not only is very bulky
and measures many times its weight but is in addition very awkward cargo
resulting in extremely bad stowage ; further all these cargoes are required to
be shipped in huge quantities.
So much is it the case that the average measurement of the -whole cargoes
is sp enormously in excess of the weight that the large store ships, vessels
which lift 7—8,000 tons of cargo on a draft varying from 23 to 25 feet are
not troubled with the restricted draft on the Basrah Bar, i e., 18' 6" to’ 19'
and it is in view" of tins that from an economical point of view it would be
disadvantageous to remove the large store ships from the line.
On the other hand I realise that w'hilst it might be uneconomical to
remove these large ships from the Basrah line still the general situation of
shipping makes it desirable to utilise small vessels as far as possible so as to
free large capacity tonnage in other trades, even although the use of small
vessels may be far from economical.
At present most of the China coasters are employed from Karachi
chiefly because there is no railway rolling stock to be shipped thence and as
a consequence during my short stay here I have not come in contact with
these China coasters.
I have been connected with the management of many of the large ships
employed as. store ships for many years. I know their capabilities as also
their limitations, but I have no similar experience of the small China coasters,
but I hope to come in contact with them at Basrah as also at Karachi on
my return voyage and I would ask you therefore to permit me to defer making
my report as to how far small tonnage can be substituted for large until I
return to Bombay.
Whilst in Bombay I have consulted with those concerned as to whether
hay and fodder bales could not be further compressed, for if the measurement
. _ 192
ss& Jaac-w.srjws j
am ioo^tto” ^ ^7™^ the ’ tr00 I> is another that I
W n > r are ?’ al l boa * b the y llave )ar S e s P ace ia the lower holds
™ " ^ e , Xtent , beCaUSe ° f their draftr is father complicated
by the fact that they have to carry stone ballast to bring them back empty
because they have to reserve their water ballast tanks for freshwater for the
troops on the outward voyage and to use them as ballast tanks on the return
j m aey means salting them but the question arises whether the tanks could
not be washed out after each return journey so as to make them available for
fresh water next voyage ; but this is a matter about which the medical officer
would possibly have something to say. If this was objected to by the medical
officers it might even be possible to fill them with fresh water in Basrah and so
dispense wi h the stone ballast; this possibly would cost money and perhaps even
be impossible to airange but I will enquire about it in Basrah. If the stone
ballast could be dispensea with it would mean that their cargo carrying capacity
would be increased on the voyage to Basrah. J o k ^
f 8 ° r ^ C ^° Se ^° r P resent as I am writing against time to
catch the mail otherwise my report might have been fuller.
Letter No. 3, dated 30th August 1917,
From—A. Monteath, Esq., Bombay,
To—The Director of Transport and Shipping, Ministry of Shipping, London, S. W.
tv ? n m Zu lri » al \ b , e ? Veni , n S of the 31st “tent, Captain Wilson,
Director of the Royal Indian Marine, handed me your message dated 17th
instant, No. 34, copy enclosed, together with copy of his interim reply