MERCANTILE MARINE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 237, 6 October 1926, Page 8

MERCANTILE MARINE.

MEETING OF OFFICERS' CLUB. CLUBROOMS TO OPEN SHORTLY. At a special meeting of the Mercantile Marine Officers' Club held thie week, the following committee, comprising masters, engineers and officers, was elected:— President, Captain W. Ross; vice-presi-dents, Mr. C. H. T. Palmer (Lieut.-Com-mander R.N.V.R.), Mr. R. E. Smith; committee, Captain E. Dorling. Captain M. Pierotti, Captain C. Plunkett, Captain J. H. Carter (Lieut.-Commander iR.N.R., D.S.C.). Captain W. OsborneWhite, Mr. P. Shirley, Mr. M. Patterson, Mr. C. Mitchell, Mr. ,T. Monaghan, Mr. R. P. Niebet (Lieut.-Commander R.N.V.R., D.S.C.); legal adviser, Mr. Allan Moody. The committee met to-day and arrangements for furnishing the club rooms in Quay Buildings, Quay Street, are well in hand, including billiard table, piano, etc. Aβ a result of the excellent work done by the retried masters, engineera and officers, it is hoped that the club will be in a position to open officially within a few weeks. It is probably unique in the history of the mercantile marine that masters, engineers and officers meet together in the organisation of a social club for their own requirements. The financial side has been assisted by twelve of Auckland's leading citizens and captains of industry who have come forward as founders with, financial assistance, realising that shipmasters and officers are not and never will be wealthy men, and that but for the mercantile marine they or their industries could never have been established in New Zealand. For the first time deck officers and engineers are combining their interests in the new club, the objects of which are purely of a social character, all business, politics and propaganda being strictly barred.