Fast Cabin

Spurred by the success of Germans with the world's fastest first-class ships (TIME, Jan. 26. 1931), the French Line put on the Atlantic last week its new Champlain, fastest cabin & tourist-class liner and larger than the French Line's first-class liner France.

Aboard on her maiden voyage last week was the Champlain's "Godmother," Mme Louis Germain-Martin, wife of the Finance Minister of France, also Norma Talmadge. her friend George Jessel and Tenor Charles Hackett. To meet the Champlain at Manhattan went Mayor of Quebec Lieut.-Colonel H. G. Lavigueur and a troupe of Canadian moppets, all claiming descent from 17th Century Samuel de Champlain, founder of Quebec and first governor of New France (now Canada).

Since minimum fares are fixed by the Atlantic Conference on a basis of speed, not size, the Champlain's $145 minimum cabin-class fare was challenged last week, shipmen contending that because of her greater speed she will have to be placed in a special cabin-class bracket with slightly higher fare. Similarly when the German speed ships were introduced their first-class fares were forced above the "No. 1" bracket of first-class liners into an especially created "A" bracket. On her maiden voyage the Champlain averaged 19 1/2 knots, but like the Bremen and Europa has speed in reserve to meet competition from faster ships of her class when they are built.

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