WHERE DID IT ALL START?

The West Australian, 19 March, 1900

THE -NOR'-WEST TRADE.

ACTION BY THE ADELAIDE S.S. CO.

BULLARRA PLACED ON THE ROUTE.

To residents of the North and Nor'-West

portions of the colony the steamer Albany

had become an institution, so long had she

plied between Fremantle and the northern

ports. Now, however, to meet the demands

of trade the Albany has had to give way to

the much larger steamer Bullarra, which

on Wednesday will leave Fremantle for

Wyndham and other ports. To celebrate

the opening of the new service the Adelaide 

Steamship Company on Saturday

afternoon gave a luncheon on board the

Bullarra, lying at the South Quay, Fremantle. 

Between 40 and 50 gentlemen

were present.

Mr. W. E. Moxon, manager for the Adelaide Steam.

ship Company in Western Australia, occupied the 

chair.

Mr. M. L. Moss proposed "The Mercantile 

Interests of Western Australia" In doing so, 

he said that he desired to heartily congratulate 

the Adelaide Steamship Company upon their 

enterprise in placing such a magnificent steamer 

as the Bullarra on the Nor'-West trade, and he 

also desired to congratulate Captain O. Odman 

(formerly of the Albany) upon his succession to the

new command. It went without saying that the people 

of the Nor'-West would cordially appreciate what the 

Adelaide Steamship Company had done for them.

Similar words were to ring out 9 years later when the magnificent Koombana joined the Nor'-West run and Bullarra was referred to as the 'old bull'.

It was during the last seven or eight years

that the mercantile interests of Western

Australia had so materially advanced, and

it must be confessed that the mercantile

men of the colony had been fully equal to

the occasion. Those in power, too had

done much to push ahead the mercantile

interests of the colony.  

In response, after congratulating the Adelaide SS,

Company upon the enterprise they were

showing in connection with the North-west

trade, said that he agreed that the body

controlling the harbour works should be

located at Fremantle, 

He was Intimately connected with the trade 

of the northern portion of the colony and 

expressed the firm opinion that great as 

had been the progress of that trade, it 

was nothing to what it's future would be, 

In this connection he desired to point out 

that while our  government placed restrictions 

on vessels which were engaged in carrying cattle

from the north to the south of Western

Australia, those vessels could go freely to

the other colonies, where no embargo was

placed upon them, It seemed strange to

him that the fear of spreading sore foot

or disease should lead the Government to

hamper vessels trading between our own

ports, while those vessels, when they went

elsewhere, were made welcome.

The Adelaide Steamship Company had 

advanced by great strides with

the prosperity of the colony, and such of

the success of the company had been

due to the efforts of their manager, Mr,

Moxon,

The fact that the Adelaide Steamship Company 

is placing upon the northern coast that fine

steamer the Bullarra--he might call her a

magnificent steamer, considering the trade

in which she is engaged - instead of the

old Albany (which had been very useful

ship in her time), showed that the Nor'

West trade of the colony had progressed

as to deserve something better at the

hands of the company than they had

hitherto given to it. 

Almost the same approach employed to describe Koombana taking over the mantle of flagship from Bullarra, 9 years later. Clearly Mr. Moxon was more than effective, efficient manager, he was a Nor'-West marketeer to boot.

But he was pleased  to think that he had decided to 

allow the bringing  of our own cattle to our own 

markets for consumption  by our own people down 

here, who were absolutely  longing for them.. 

...and patriotic!

He agreed with Mr. Holmes that  we had a good country, 

which had splendid prospects,  and that advantage had 

been taken of those prospects.  But he had known cases 

where even with a good  business and good prospects, 

it was even then quite possible to make a mess of things. 

A word of warning from the great man to whom; the competition?....

Although we had great resources, and were In a good 

position, he still thought that good management had 

had something to do with their prosperity. He considered 

that the good management of the Government had had 

something to  do with placing the colony in the proud 

position it held that day. 

..oh, to the Government...

He wished to tell doubters, to tell the croakers,

that the colony was still progressing, if not rapidly, very 

satisfactorily. The revenue was increasing, and everyone

-if he excepted the agitators for separation on the goldfields -

seemed to be fairly contented! The Government had plenty of

money even for the great Coolgardie water scheme. We had, 

as they would have seen, a loan on the market. Our credit 

was good, as we were in a thoroughly solvent condition, and 

he predicted he could confidently assure them that the loan 

would be a great success. 

Government's business and money was indeed in the right hands.

We had great assets, and those who would lend us money 

were well aware of that, Again, he, as manager of the public 

business, still thought that a little credit was due to the 

management for the condition of the colony. 

And finally a pat on the back..

It was pleasing to see such a fine steamer as the 

Bullarra safely moored within the harbour, but agreed that 

the work was not yet completed, It had been suggested that 

there should be local control, such as a harbour board. He 

for one would be glad to see a harbour board established. 

Boards were handy things for governments, as they acted 

as government buffers between the Government and the 

people. In his opinion, however, boards did not always do 

as well as was expected of them. Very often they were an 

irresponsible lot.

Is there an element of arrogance or am I imagining it? No doubt part of the success of a harbour board was its favourable relationship with the shipowners.  

In again congratulating the Adelaide

Steamship Company on resolving to

place such a fine steamer as the Bullarra

on the Nor'-West trade, he would say that

the company in its capacity of mail contractor 

had always given satisfaction.

Little or no cause of complaint had arisen,

and the greatest good feeling had always

existed between the company and the

Government.

He certainly wanted the arrangement to continue!

.. and it gave him much pleasure to

testily to the most fair and generous manner

in which the company had always treated its

customers and employees. 

Further self-congratulatory pats on the back. We are forming an impression of the man who would be confronted by the greatest maritime disaster to strike the developing Nor'-West coast, 9 years later.

Speaking of the Nor'-West, he expressed the 

firm opinion that although Kimberley had not yet

justified the hopes that had been formed

about its gold-producing capabilities, it

would yet become one of the greatest gold

mining centres in Australia. 

'Western Australia produced over 50% ($69.5 billion) of all Australian mineral and petroleum sales, which made up 88% of the state's merchandise exports in 2015-16. In 2015-16, gold was ranked third in the list of resources exported by Western Australia with regard to value.' (wikipedia)

Mr. Moxon was certainly a visionary! 

Again, if Kimberley did have tick or disease there,

which idea he combatted, it could always

produce the best of cattle in large quantities, 

and thus the southern parts of the

colony could procure from within our own

borders that which it required meat to

feed the masses. The Nor'-West had

always been modest in its demands upon

the Government, and it might not now be

out of place to suggest to the Premier

that there was no railway communication

there. (Laughter.)

Illustrating that the Nor'-West was most certainly a work in progress.

A railway from Port Hedland to Marble Bar 

would, the speaker added, prove of great 

benefit, and in time it could be made to 

connect with Geraldton, and so open the 

fine Nor'-West portions of the colony. The 

placing of the Bullarra on the trade was an 

era in the commercial progress of the north, 

The company would have no reason to regret 

their action.

If from humane views alone, it would be 

gratifying to know that on the service was 

a magnificent steamer which would call at 

the ports where facilities prevailed for the 

proper shipping of stock and that care would 

be taken in the handling of the beasts. Only 

the other day at Port Hedland, out of a 

shipment of bullocks, no less than 16 died 

soon after they had been hoisted up by the 

horns on to the steamer's deck. He gave the 

Adelaide Company and their manager every 

credit for their able and painstaking efforts,

so far as the mail service was concerned,

as that was under his more immediate

control. Captain Odman had had to navigate 

a difficult coast in the past, and had

managed successfully, and he (Mr. Randell)

hoped that equal success would attend

him in the future.

The Adelaide Steamship Company was the future and more importantly, humane!

Mr. W. E. Moxon responded. He said

that the mail service to the North-West

of Western Autralia was the most arduous

mail contract in Australia. This would be

understood when he stated that the old

mail liner Albany, which had grown old

with the colony and in her service, had
under mail contract for many years past
journeyed 2014, say 3000 miles, Derby
and back every 20 days, and called at 18
ports during the time, waited at them, 
landed and loaded cargoes: and the next
trip in 26 days had travelled 4000 miles to
Wyndham and back, and called at 19
different ports, subject to delay by tides
whose velocity was a mill race, delays
through dangerous reefs on a practically
unlighted coast, injuries by cyclones
which carried away and demolished towns,
altered navigable channels and destroyed
leading marks, while the steamer groped
along a dark coast day or night, fine or
thick calling at ports, roadsteads, where
work was sometimes impossible and delays
were frequent yet a zealous State official
expected the ship to leave on her next trip
up to time, Such had been the work of
the Albany, and such was to be the work
of the Bullarra, for which she received a
very modest subsidy as a small auxiliary
to her earning power as a cargo and
passenger boat.

This is an important description of a challenging schedule and route. 9 years later Koombana had her work cut out for her. The point is very well made by Mr. Moxon that 'zealous state officials expected the ship to leave on her next trip up to time'. No wonder Captain Allen felt pressurized to depart Port Hedland on schedule that fateful March morning. This, in my opinion, confirms the State's hand in the circumstances leading up to the Koombana disaster.

The decision of the Adelaide Steamship 

Company, Ltd., to introduce the Bullarra to the 

Nor'-West trade and mail service was entirely

due to the expansion of that trade, no assistance 

having been obtained from the State, and her 

retention in the trade was equally dependent upon

the growth and maintenance of the same

conditions. The steamer had been fitted

up especially for the work in which she was

to be engaged in the future, which itself

spoke for the opinion of the directors of

the Adelaide Steamship Company of the

promising future of this colony. 

She was fitted as a first-class passenger boat, 

and could take 120 passengers in both classes

without crowding. She had had between decks 

fitted throughout, and on deck and below she 

could accommodate large shipments of stock 

in fittings which could be erected or dismantled 

at will.

Two powerful steam rotary fans made a

forced indraught, which was intended to

withdraw from the holds all hot air and

fumes from the stock, while for the

traveller in the tropics a powerful "Hercules" 

engine manufactured ice, producing

"Jack Frost" in a 20ft. space, for preserving 

the ship's stores and keeping her liquid 

refreshments cool. All these fittings had 

cost much money, and the owners looked 

to the trade of Western Australia, and that 

alone, to reimburse them and give them a 

profitable revenue.

Adequate ventilation for stock was humane and good business sense.

The home coasting trade of a colony was

one of its prime industries, and it paid the

seaports to get as much as they could of

that class of business, leaving as it did so

much money at their doors. The Ballarra's

terminal and home port was Fremantle,

where she paid her wages, took her stores,

loaded the bulk of her cargoes, and repaired 

any damages or made renewals and alterations, 

and victualled the ship, trip by trip (13 in a year). 

For the information of those present he

might state that a steamer like the

Bullarra paid fully £4,000 every year in

Fremantle in wages to her crew, left

£1,000 per annum with the wharf

labourers coaling her bunkers and in

handling her coal alone, besides further

thousands in labour to the lumpers and

wharf hands handling her cargoes, and

other trade expenses of various sorts. He

was well within the mark in saying that

independently of the cost of her coal a

steamer like the Bullarra would pay into

circulation at Fremantle fully £7,000 every

year, This was good evidence of the

importance to the colony of the

home coast trade of Western Australia,

and in our interests as well as of

these who lived by labour and trade in

Fremantle the company claims the 

attention for it that it deserves. There seemed

to be an idea prevalent that steamships

earned enormous profits, He might tell

them that a steamer costing so low a

figure to run as £2 per hour was a very

much inferior vessel to the Bullarra, and

while they lunched or while they slept the

expense of a ship still went on. The

profitable running of steamships was

closely regulated by competition, and

owners were ever allowed by their

friends in the same trade to make 

unusually large profits.

Mr. Moxon was both intelligent and shrewd denying huge profits and promoting his company as an integral part of the development of the Nor'-West, contributing heavily to the economy of her home port, Fremantle = INDISPENSABLE.

"well at least until 1913 when the State Steamship Service usurped his crown'.

courtesy Trove.