ARRIVAL OF THE MALWA

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 40, 16 February 1910, Page 5

ARRIVAL OF THE MALWA

P. AND 0. STEAMER IN AUCKLAND. PUBLIC LUNCHEON ON THE VESSEL. MINISTERS MAKE INTERESTING SPEECHES. The P. and 0. Company's 11,000 ton steamer Malwa arrived in Auckland this morning, and berthed' at the end ol Queen-street wharf at 9 o'clock, j Tiiroughout the day hundreds of specta- ; tors lined the wiharf and thronged tiie | vessel, the demand for passes being so great that the local agents, Messrs. Russell and Somers, had to refuse the issu. ot further permit-, long befoTe mid-day. The Malwa. presented an imposing sight from Queen-street, her bridge and boatdecks towering up above the tops of the •buildings at the foot of the wharf, and her bow and stern projecting beyond the ends of the tec, such was the length ot the ship. Those privileged to inspect •the vessel roamed at will over her docks and through her caibins, admiring the luxurious accommodation and fittings, which have converted the big ocean liner into a veritable floating palace. Three and a-;half days were occupied in making the hrip across from Sydney, the vessel leavinig Port Jackson at 5 o'clock on Saturday afternoon, and taking a pilot aboard outside the Auckland hiunbour at 5.30 o'clock this morning. The M-tlwa frequently averaged 400 miles per day on the voyage from London to Sydney, and could have attained the some speed on tho trip across from Sydney, thus reducing the time occupied between the two ports to tliTee days. .Scarcity of coal, however, due to the Sydney strike, made it necessary to economise as much as possible, and tlie journey therefore occupied half a day longer than it should have done. "A BEAUTIFUL HARBOUR." CAPTAIN TROQUE'S EULOGY. Captain Troque, master of the Malwa. interviewed by a "Star" representative

on the arrival of his ship in Auckland this morning, waxed enthusiastic over the beauty and natural charm of Auckland's harbour. "We had absolutely no trouble in getting into the harbour or berthing alongside the wharf," said Captain Troque. "As far as I could judge, Auckland possesses a port easy of navigation, remarkably well protected, and absolutely safe for any class of shipping. I could never wish for a better port, and 1 have been in a good many harbours in different parts of the world. For instance," said the captain, pointing with a laugh to a photo in his cabin, "there is one of the places I have been in. That is one of the fjords of Norway, and the ship is the Malwa, making a summer excursion to those delightful regions. For natural picturesqueness, I do not think you will find much to excel Auckland's harbour. This is my first visit to the port, and 1 was delighted with the panoramic view presented to my gaze on entering the beads—a view which reminded mc very much of Stockholm." "EQUAL TO SYT>NEY." Mr. Trelawny, superintendent of the P. and O. Company for Australasia, was ' a passenger by the Malwa, and is paying his first visit to Auckland. Speaking to a "Star" representative this morning, he expressed his pleasure with the great | natural beauties of Auckland Harbour, 1 and considers that in point of picturesqueness jt compares favourably, and i quite holds its own, with Sydney."From j a shipping standpoint, he declared himI self impressed with the port, and the I progress of its Harbour works. Quesj tioned in regard to the intentions of the j P. and 0. Company to make Auckland a I permanent port of call, Mr. Trelawny replied that three trial trips had been decided upon, and much depended on the i result of that trial as to what the com- ' pany would do in the future. He pointed out that it is not intended to enter into I competition with the Union or Huddart, I Parker S.S. Co.'s in the trade between | Auckland and Sydney. That is demonstrated by the fact that the P. and O. Company is charging £2 more than either of the two local companies for passages between the two ports. What the company is aiming at is to catch the Home traffic, both to and from New Zealand, by enabling passengers to book right through.

AN EPOCH-MARKING EVENT. Mr. A. J. Entrican, chairman of the Harbour Board, when interviewed, remarked that the arrival of the Malwa marekd an epoch in the .history, of Auckland as a port. "It is a recognition of the importance of Auckland as a port," said Mr. Entrican. "The facilities of our port, and the proximity of Auckland to Rotorua—one of the greatest' show grounds n the world, had no doubt led to the selection of Auckland as the port of call for New Zealand. The present is only a trial trip, but there is no dou-bt what the ultimate result will be, and I am confident that the day is not far distant when the run to Auckland will be made permanent, and New eZaland thus given a direct communication by one of the best English mail steamers." Mr. Entrican added that it was regrettable that the late Mr. R. A. Carr had not lived to see the fulfilment of what had been on of the objects he had always strived after in the interests of Auckland. THE MALWA'S WIRELESS APPARATUS. The Malwa is the first vessel, other than a warship, to enter Auckland harbour euipped with wireless telegraphy apparatus. All the P. and 0. boats are fitted with wireless, and the Malwa, when between 500 and 000 miles away, was commyinicating with H.M.S. Challenger, as she lay at anchor in Auckland harbour. The operator, Mr. J. Robinson, conducted a "Star" representative this mornin-7 to his trim little cabin on the bridge, and there, on a table beside his bed, displayed the compact and simplo mechanism which enables him, with tho pressure of his thumb on a key, to communicate with ships or signalling stations from 500 to GOO mile., away, and likewise, when on Che homeward voyage, enables him to supply to passengers news daily of what the world is doing while the ship ploughs her way over the 16,000 mile course Home. The Malwa, drawing 25ft. of water, came into port at low spring tide this morning. She made the anchorage at G. 30, and was berthed at Queenstreet wharf shortly after nine o'clock. A large crowd of people was assembled behind the barricades, but the utmost good order was maintained, and the passengers were enabled to disembark with comfort. The public were given free access to all parts of the ship, and at the noon hour there were many hundreds of people aboard the liner, which they ci

The experimental extension by the P. and O. Company of their service to Auckland took concrete form this morning with the arrival of the Malwa. Our photograph shows the steamer berthed at Queen-street wharf.

plored from deck to kelson, the lofty decks and even the captain's .bridge and the engine-room being crowded. Squads of school children visited the ship during the luncheon hour, and it was noticeable the number of kodaks they carried. The officers of the Malwa are as follows:—Capt. C. H. S. Tocque, RJST.R., commander; Mr. B. S. Rawn, chief officer; Mr. F. H. Fitzroy, superintendent chief officer; Mr. J. B. Browning, second officer; Mr. E. Hannan, third officer; Mir. J. H. Miller, fourth officer; Mr. D. White, fifth officer; Dr. H. S. Libby, surgeon; Mr. H. P. de St. Croix, purser; Mr. T. Thorburn, chief engineer; Mr. W. J. Boyes, second; Mr. W. Nelson, third; Mr. E. A. Prime, fourth; Mx. J. G. Tricker, chief steward. AUSTRALIAN EDITOR'S VIEW. Mr. T. R. Roydhouse, editor-in-chief of ! the "Sunday Times" and "Referee," of Sydney, who was a passenger by the Malwa, is strongly impressed with the importance of the extended P. and 0. Service. In conversation* with a "Star" representative, Mr. Roydhouse said: "This line is going to be very valuable to New Zealand, and especially to Auckland. I can see that it will bring to the Dominion a large number of passengers who might not otherwise come here. For instance, there are people in West Australia and South Australia who could not without inconvenience come here by the lines previously running, because of the inconvenience of transhipping; now they can I get on the P. and O. steamer at Perth or Adelaide, and come right through to Auckland. lam quite certain that many people will now come to New Zealand by tlie P. and 0. steamer who could not do so previously, and others well seize the opportunity of making the sea trip under such comfortable conditions. And once they get into touch with New Zealand they will no doubt pay you further visits im. the future. Among the passengers by tne Malwa on the present trip are sev- ' eral busy influential men from Australia, j who probably would not have made the ! journey if. they had not been able to | make it but for the comfort and convenience. As an old New Zealander, I fully realise all the Union Company has done for this Dominion, but this new line will create new traffic. The very existence of such facilities will create traffic, and all those on board fully realise the importance of this line to Auckland as a port of calll.

THE IixNCiIEON. At one o'clock this afternoon a luncheon was given aboard the Malwa. io mark the first arrival of a P. and 0. steamer. Captain Toeque presided, and with him were the Hon. G. Fowlds, "Mrnister for Education, and the Hon. Dr. Findlay, Attorney-General. Amongst others present were-: His Honor Mr. Jnstice Edwards, Mr. C. a Kettle, S-M-. Mesftss. W. F. ___ta sey, F. E. Baame, E. Marnier, A. E. Glover, M_P.', Hous. Seymour Tbonte George, and E- Mi-chelson, Messrs. a D. Grey (Mayor), A. J. En-trie-in (chairman Auckland Harbour Rmrtl), C. J- Parr ( chainnaji Auckland Education Board), B. Kent (chairman Cb-imbcr of Commerce.), J. J. Walk-ate, .1. K-irker. ,T- M. Brigham, G- Alekin, Dr. P. A. Lindsay, Dr. S barman. C. Seagner, Leo. Myers, A. E. Alison. Colonel Wolfe, Major Patterson. L. J. Bagnall, G. Rhodes. Capt Duder. G. Ridings, H. Tre-L-rwrry. T. Frndlayson. T. P-__x*ocke, N. A. Nathan. H. D. Heather, S. Nathan, H. W. Wilson, H. Woodward. Batchelor N. P>ankart. W. A- Prickett, Captain Taylor, W. C. Somers. G. Russell, ProL Thomas, end many others. The first toast proposed and honoured .was *The King." The Hon. Dr. Fin-Hay said he 'had to e-cprv-B the regret of the Prime Minister at his im__bility to be present on this atispk-ious occasion. He could not understand how it was that Auckland had almost a monopoly of historic events. AlTao-l everything of bistoric interest in con_r_£etk_n with New Zealand had taken place in Auckland. He put it down partly to Ar___k_l_----d "push-'' and partly to a helpful Providence. The arrival of the Malwa was an historic event—an epoch-marking event. The P. and O. Company had sent one of their best vessels along, ami they recognised- that it mean thai New Zealand had progressed and earned" the distinction of having a port, of call. He was not speaking on behalf of Anckkaid people alone, -tlthough if Capt. Troque read the Auckland papers he might believe that Auckland was the only place in New Zealand. (I__aughteT.) There were, however, other villa-re* in the Dominion. The Dominion was proud of Auckland, however. It -was one cf her proudest daughters, though neenrdrng 'to the local papers, it -was one of the shiest and most modest of her daughters. He believed the time was now coming when the galaxy of companies which served Australia would very s-Ytanh- extend operations to New Zealand. Their advent- would' mean a cxeax deal to New Zealand as a young '(•c-\kitry. It ______ that they were -being draVn" closer to the Motherland. They •were being favoured by a visit from one of the leading captains of tie P. and O. Company. He proposed the toast of success to the P. and O. Company, and success to its co_nn_-_ndeT, Capt. Troque. This w3s drrnri.- with enthusiasm. __.fr. W. F. Massey. in supporting Dr. Findlav. said this was the first occasion on which he found himself "in the same port." with that hon. gentleman. It meant a great dead that Auckland -«-__= to be made a port of call by tbe P. and O. CoTnTKrny. It did not require any trophet to foretell that within five years the volume of business would Teatlv rnerease. and he believed that the P. and O. Company would reap its reward. On behalf of the producers of this comtUy, he e_rpre__sed satisfaction that aj-otlrer strand would be added to the cable "which would bind New Zealand to the Empire. He believed the event they were that afternoon celebrating was an poeh-n-arkrng one in the history of Ancklad and New Zealand. Mr. Trelawny. superintendent of the P. and 0. Company, responded on behalf of the Company, and expressed pleasure at meeting those present, and said that he hoped that Mr. Massey's prophecy would be fulfilled. Captain Toeque also suitably responded :o t.he toast, and the eathering then dispersed. ; DESCRIPTION OF TfTF. LINER. As she lies at the Queen-street wharf the M-awa presents a most striking appearance. Her top decks tower above ithe highest part of the shed on the tee, ■W-_i«--_> she overlaps to a considerable extent, her bow and stern extending beyond the end of the berth. The black hull and khaki painting on the decks do not show the iboat off to the best advantage, but rather take off from her general appearance. Once on board, however, the visitor is struck by the iugness of things. l-eading off from the epar deck is the main saloon. The din-ing-room is panelled in polished oak, and ventilated -by two large skylights with pret-ty designs in stain glass. The tables have aeeom_i_odat_*on for 300 passen;:-'.--; at one sitting. The cabins are plain but ct-mifortably furnished and well febiej and ventilated. A pramLneirt feature is the large p_\_portion of single ben:i .-a_bins. None of the rooms have more than three berths, but it is only when the vessel is crowded that more than two passengers are. assigned to any one state room. The __ii_gle berth rooms on :he hurricane deck are in much demand among -the travelling public, he.jrtT eminently sn,_taib_e for -the journey thro'._-_+i the Tropicis. The saloon accommodation is amidships, and the secondclass <_a_3_n in the after part of the ship. There is little difference in the quality and comfort of the general appointments of the two ela<sses, the main distinction fo-3-ng the choice of position. In fact, the second-class __ceommodat__on is all that could he desired, and the diningroom is e__pec_-_.lly worthy of mention. Like the first saloon it is panelled in polished oak, oat of a darker line. There is seati-Ur cw*<*oirnn*od_it-_on for 2SO, the fall ccn-pleme-rt -for ibis d-335. When the iMalwa is carrying her full complement of passengers, 327 saloon end 280 second-class, the population of the vessel is about 1,000, this number, of course. h____hiding crew. Naturally so large a mmrbor of people require a great deal of attention, and the provision that has been made for them on the Malwa is complete in every detail. The cnlinarv departments are fitted up ■with all modern conveniences, and carry a larsre staff of servants under the direction of a French cheL There are patent steam and electric devices for cleaning the utensils and china-ware, which are dried at-tomatieally. Electric lifts are employed for the purpose of lifting supplies from the freezing chambers to the galleys. The laundry, where all the ship's linen, passengers' effects, eta, .ire washed, is also -worthy of passing interest. Here the clothes are placed in a revolving steam washer, and are then transferred to another vessel, where they are dried by centrifugal forceThere are large roller machines for ironing shirts and collars, and the elot_*es are then placed in a hot-air chamber, where they are dried before beingjwait-out, ~___, ,___,,, . ' '. ; ua____l • „■ ■ -,tr I _\M I --•-»,

The spacious decks of the Malwa should be a great boon to passengers on a -long sea voyage. Ladies will welcome the presence of a divan room, which is partly a smoking-room and partly a ladies' room. There is also a smokingroom, but this is reserved for gentlemen only. The social hall on the hurricane deck is immediately adjacent to the divan. The Malwa's engine-room is one of the most interesting features of the vesseL The engines are on an immense scale, developing 15,000 h.p. They are of the quadruple expansion type, and generate their power from eight large boilers, fitted with thirty-sis furnaces, which are stoked by Lascars. The great bulk of the main engines and the many auxiliary engines is something bewildering. There are fifteen pumps alone, besides two large dynamos and many auxiliary engines, but all work independently of the main engine. The Malwa is capable of maintaining a sea-going speed of 18i knots per hour, but on the passage from Sydney, she came over under easy steam, averaging only 15J knots. A recorder in the engine-room shows that the number of revolutions of the propellers since the vessel left London to arrival at Auckland was 4,252,617. It is only twelve months since the Malwa made her maiden voyage to Australia, having been launched in October, 190S, and despatched from London in December of the same year. She is a vessel of 11,000 tons, being one of eight fine steamers recently placed in the Australian trade by t"e P. and 0. Company. She was built and engined by Messrs. Caird and Co., of Greenwich. The Malwa often made 400 miles a day during the voyage from London to Australia and could have easily made Auckland on Tuesday night, but owing to the coal strike came along under easy steam. SOME OF THE PASSENGERS. Among the Malwa's passengers for Auckland were a number of distinguished visitors, pleasure bentj on a tour of New Zealand, or for the sea trip, in addition to a number of New Zealanders homeward bound from foreign parts. Sir Henry Parker. Chief Justice of Western Australia, is on sick leave, and returns by the same steamer, as does the Right Rev. C, 0. L. Riley, D-D., the Bishop of Perth, who made the sea trip for the benefit of his health. Mr. Rawlings, second master at Eton, has come to tour New Zealand. Mr. and Mrs. Tripps, of Wellington, are returning from a visit to the Old Country. Mr. P. Watterston, of the "Melbourne Argus," is returning by the same steamer. Major Whitney is a through passenger from London on a visit to New Zealand The Earl of Orford is on a tour of New Zealand. After making a stay in Auckland he will visit Rotorua and Taupo and other places of interest in the Dominion. This Is n»t the Earl's first visit to New Zealand. He was here as a midshipman on the flagship Pearl, with Commadore Goodenough, and again in IS7O in H.M-s. Blanche. Sir R. Beauchamp, the Earl of Oxford's companion on the trip, also intends to make an extended tour of New Zealand He unfortunately met with an accident on the Melbourne wharf immediately after landing. While walking along the wharf, his walking stick went through a slight opening in the wharf, throwing Sir Reginald heavily. He had to -be carried on board, and has remained in his cabin during the voyage across to New Zealand Dr. A KLnight, of Auckland, who went to England three years ago, has returned by the Malwa, in excellent health, and will shortly resume practice. The doctor has left' his family in London. Mr Manshee is a wealthy squatter of New South Wales, on a pleasure visit to the Dominion. The Hon. F. S. Unichcombe, MX.C, N.S.W., and president of the Sydney Chamber of Commerce, and the Hon. W. C. Hill, of the Legislative Council, N.S.W., are returning by the same steamer. Mr. A. W. Gillies, who in the early days was in business in Auckland, in the firm of Carey and Gillies, is a passenger from Sydney, and will remain in Auckland for about a month before returning. Mr. E. Trelawny, general superintendent of the P. and O. Company in Sydney, return to Sydney by the Malwa Mr. A. Yates, of the firm of Yates and Co., arrived from Sydney by the Malwa, accompanied by Mrs. Yates. Professor E. G. Nanson, who occupies the chair of mathematics at Melbourne University, has come on a visit to New Zealand Mr. G. J. Cohen, chairman of the Commercial Bank of Sydney, and of the firm of D. L. Levy and Co., Sydney, is a passenger. Mr. and Mrs. H. Williamson are passengers from Sydney, and will remain in Auckland a month. Mrs. Williamson is a daughter of Mr. J. M. Mennie, of this city. Mr. Rodyhouse, editor of the "Sunday Times" and "Referee," is also a passenger.