WATERFRONT WORRIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 86, 13 April 1926, Page 5

WATERFRONT WORRIES.

THE AORANGI t OMES IN. ißy S.*vl".. Tl-.- Aorangi i- :. ini.jrb'y fine ship Vn one will sori.-ui-h .-.•rti»>en that It -c.-tn- illiy a litt":-.' while since hal* en" Auckland took a day nil ai:d proceeded to tl..- waterfront in their thousand's to insjifi-t the stately maritime visitor. But when tbe Aorangi stands between the stomach* of a goodly portion of tho --.M-ide popul.no :-.-■•: tbe evening meal it is apt to 10-o c-.-t. Hoar ye. tlion. a desultory conversation tbat occurred on the waterfront la*t nigin, what time ferry boat whistles shrieked themselves hoarse at the monster blocking their path: A (an optimist.: Well, it"* something to think that here's ray Sydney mail holding up all thoso people. B .with a reckless imagination.: I reckon the skipper an" the pilot an' tha .-toward aro all gone to sleep. C ia confirmed pessimist >: Knew there.! He trouble a* soon as I *aw her poke hor nose- round the corner. Those motor >!.in- ;ire all tlio same. A: Thai"* the second time sho"? gone astern. .Hopefully.: tie ought to bo aide to bring hor alongside now. B: She's barely i-rawlin™. It 'ud bo full speed ahead if it was mc. A: Ami run her un into Hobson Street. eh! ißeminiscently i : Like the master ~f the . He did. that, and stove her bow* in. C: Knew all along when they built tiiis wharf the way thoy did there"d be trouble. A: There* our boat now. C i with gloom>- satisf'ict ion i : Not on rour life. "" That's the Northcote boat —going out. too. She* managed to sneak round the big fellow's stern. A (reritrnrdlyi; Ob. well: It must tako a bit of time to turn a big boat like that. Seventeen thousand tons, isn't she? B: Don't know, but she's a whopper anyhow. I see the Huddart Parker people are putting on two big motor slii'.*". Wsh they'd rr.n in opposition to 'the Union Company. That'd shake thorn - .;:i a lit. O iw.ith evident satisfaction*:_ So they u«ed to. About twenty years ago. You could co to the Other Side for ten bob then. The Huddart Parker and the Union Company wore trying to cut each other's throat* in them daya. Fairly ran after you. thoy did. Pity there wasn't a bit more competition now. A monopoly* no good to anyone. A (brightly.: Hero sho is. They've eot her headed right now. Look at that bow line tightening. B: There* the ferry. They'll push her along this timo. anyhow. C (cmshingly'i: No. they won't. These boats can only do eight knots, and they'd blow the inside out of her if they tried to go faster. Still, the "passage to Devonport seemed incredibly short. Possibly everyone was so busy making a mental note" of alterations to their plans for the evening as a result of the delay that the time passed quickly. Then, j again, it is possible that the ferry was [ going faster, despite C's gloomy prediction of disaster.