THE SCHOONER AWANUI.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 63, 14 March 1919, Page 6

THE SCHOONER AWANUI.

I . SIX WEEKS OVERDUE. NO NEWS FROM NIUE. The schooner Awanui is now six weeks' overdue, and no news of her hns come yet to Auckland. She left here 12 weeks ago direct for Niue, or Savage Island, which is a protectorate of New Zealand albout 1400 miles almost north of this country, and the. trips of the Awanui have been the only means ot regular communication between tho island and this Dominion. Captain David Anderson is in command of the schooner, which is subsidised by the New Zealand Government to make trips between Now Zealand and Niue, &nd Captain Ruth, of Ruth's Inland, is the mate. The Awanui is owned by Mr. W. _\ Ctting, of Auckland. Some ten days after the Awanui should have arrived here the attention of the Marine Department was drawn to the lack of news concerning the steamer, and the Minister for Marine, Hon. T. M. Wilford, received a suggestion that he should divert the Talnne > Flora, or Atua—ail three U.S.S. vessels being then in the Pacific—to Niue to jiick up news. The Department, however, considered there was no cause for undue anxiety, and a week ago the .Minister promised to get in touch with the l'nion Co. re calling the Flora by wireless, but apparently nothing was done. The conclusion of a letter written on the subject by Mr. M. M. McCallum, president of tbe Chamber of Commerce, reads: —"One hopes that the terrible loss of life recently through the war and the plague has not made the authorities callous to the fate of the crew of the Awanui, and to the welfare of the 40(10 inhabitants of "s'iue. I should be indeed sorry to cause needless alarm, but I am satislied, from close inquiries from those who know the Island* well, that the matter is serious. 1 earnestly hope that the little vessel will be reported somewhere at an early date, but I think the Marine Department should take prompt steps to communicate w'th Niue."