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Northern Steamship Company
The Northern Steam Ship Company Ltd (NSS) served the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand from 1881 to 1974. Its headquarters, the Northern Steam Ship Company Building, remains in use on Quay Street, Auckland as a bar and is listed by Heritage New Zealand as a Category I Historic Place.
Initially there were very few roads and they were muddy and narrow, so a constant theme in early papers was a demand from small coastal settlements for a regular shipping service to link them with the major ports. For example, in 1874 a steamer service from Onehunga to Raglan and Port Waikato was given a subsidy by Auckland Province.
Capt. Alexander McGregor had the steam ship Rowena built in Auckland in 1872. He joined with a syndicate of owners to run the Argyle, Iona, Glenelg, Staffa, Rowena, Fingal and Katikati, as Auckland Steam Packet Co. ASP went into liquidation in 1878 due to losses on a ship for the Fiji trade, the SS Llewellyn. On 10 January 1878 ASP had sold Southern Cross for £7000, Go-Ahead for £2500, Pretty Jane for £2350 and the Cantera hulk and her coal for £384, to what was described as a newly formed Auckland company.
On 11 May 1881 nineteen businessmen, including some of the syndicate, formed NSS, buying the ASP's ships. Thomas Morrin, David Cruickshank, Alexander McGregor, Thomas Ball, James Macfarlane and James McCosh Clark were the first directors.
NSS paid a 10% dividend in its first year and started acquiring extra ships. The 256 ton Macgregor entered service in September 1881. In 1883 Capt. McGregor went to Britain to buy new steamers for the Tauranga and Russell routes. In 1884 Clansman and Gairloch arrived. In 1886 the Waimarie was one of the first to have electric lighting.
NSS was also active in opening up new ports, such as at Te Puke in 1881 and ports north of Whangārei in 1893.
On 6 June 1888 Capt. McGregor was replaced as manager by Charles Ranson. He retired in 1921, after greatly expanding the company.
By 1887 the depression was affecting the company; wages and overtime pay were cut, and seamen who objected were replaced with non-unionists. In response the Federated Seamen's Union formed the co-operative Jubilee Steam Ship Co, competing on the northern and Waitara routes. It wasn't expected to succeed, but, between September 1887 and October 1888, the FSU claimed that Jubilee lost £14,000 and NSS £22,000. It also caused another company to withdraw from the west coast, which in the end was helpful to NSS. When Ranson took over, one of his first acts was to re-engage all the FSU members, though he also cut staff. He remained a lifelong friend of the union boss, John A. Millar, and received an award from staff in 1897 for his considerate attitude to them. However, in the 1913 Great Strike, NSS backed a ‘scab’ union (the Auckland Seamen and Firemen's Union).
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Northern Steamship Company
The Northern Steam Ship Company Ltd (NSS) served the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand from 1881 to 1974. Its headquarters, the Northern Steam Ship Company Building, remains in use on Quay Street, Auckland as a bar and is listed by Heritage New Zealand as a Category I Historic Place.
Initially there were very few roads and they were muddy and narrow, so a constant theme in early papers was a demand from small coastal settlements for a regular shipping service to link them with the major ports. For example, in 1874 a steamer service from Onehunga to Raglan and Port Waikato was given a subsidy by Auckland Province.
Capt. Alexander McGregor had the steam ship Rowena built in Auckland in 1872. He joined with a syndicate of owners to run the Argyle, Iona, Glenelg, Staffa, Rowena, Fingal and Katikati, as Auckland Steam Packet Co. ASP went into liquidation in 1878 due to losses on a ship for the Fiji trade, the SS Llewellyn. On 10 January 1878 ASP had sold Southern Cross for £7000, Go-Ahead for £2500, Pretty Jane for £2350 and the Cantera hulk and her coal for £384, to what was described as a newly formed Auckland company.
On 11 May 1881 nineteen businessmen, including some of the syndicate, formed NSS, buying the ASP's ships. Thomas Morrin, David Cruickshank, Alexander McGregor, Thomas Ball, James Macfarlane and James McCosh Clark were the first directors.
NSS paid a 10% dividend in its first year and started acquiring extra ships. The 256 ton Macgregor entered service in September 1881. In 1883 Capt. McGregor went to Britain to buy new steamers for the Tauranga and Russell routes. In 1884 Clansman and Gairloch arrived. In 1886 the Waimarie was one of the first to have electric lighting.
NSS was also active in opening up new ports, such as at Te Puke in 1881 and ports north of Whangārei in 1893.
On 6 June 1888 Capt. McGregor was replaced as manager by Charles Ranson. He retired in 1921, after greatly expanding the company.
By 1887 the depression was affecting the company; wages and overtime pay were cut, and seamen who objected were replaced with non-unionists. In response the Federated Seamen's Union formed the co-operative Jubilee Steam Ship Co, competing on the northern and Waitara routes. It wasn't expected to succeed, but, between September 1887 and October 1888, the FSU claimed that Jubilee lost £14,000 and NSS £22,000. It also caused another company to withdraw from the west coast, which in the end was helpful to NSS. When Ranson took over, one of his first acts was to re-engage all the FSU members, though he also cut staff. He remained a lifelong friend of the union boss, John A. Millar, and received an award from staff in 1897 for his considerate attitude to them. However, in the 1913 Great Strike, NSS backed a ‘scab’ union (the Auckland Seamen and Firemen's Union).