SMART VOYAGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 302, 21 December 1932, Page 14

SMART VOYAGE.

RANGITATA IN PORT.

HEAVY MAILS FROM LONDON

CALL MAI>E AT PLYMOUTH,

A faet trip from England to New Zealand was made by the New Zealand Shipping Company's motor liner Rangitata (Captain J. L. B. Hunter), which arrived at. Auckland from London early this morning. The vessel brought 148 passengers —00 in the first saloon, 10 in the second cabin and 72 in the steerage class. Among the saloon passengers were a number of sportsmen who have come to the Dominion for the fishing season. The Rarigitata left London on November 17 and called at Plymouth to pick up mails. The making of Plymouth a port of call for New Zealand Shipping Company liners bound for New Zealand is a new departure, this being the first occasion the Rangitata has touched at that port to lift mail. Ifine weather was experienced in the Atlantic, and the ship arrived at Colon on December 1. In the Pacific the fine weather continued and the liner was- able to make the best time she has ever done in the service. Her actual steaming time was 31 days 22 hours 56 minutes, and her best day's run Avas 380 miles. Due to the proximity of the Christmas season, the Rangitata brought an unusually large quantity of mail matter. Letters alone totalled one thousand bags and there were also 550 bags of parcels. A big party of postal officials, were on the Queen's wharf to take prompt delivery of the mail when the liner berthed this morning. Among the Passengers. Among the passengers was RearAdmiral G. L. Massey, who waa formerly commander of H.M.A.s. Adelaide. He is on a holiday trip to Australia. Lieut.-Colonel C. E. R. Rendle is on a, short visit to the Dominion. He formerly practised medicine in Ashburton for twelve years and is revisiting New Zealand after an aibeence of ten years. He has now retired.

Another passenger was the Rev. Father Timmons, of the Diocese of Ballarat, a worker in the Mallee district. In Ireland, he said, it was noticeable that there were large areas under cereals, with the hop© of lessening imports into Ireland. Sir James Mills, the founder of the Union. Steam Ship Company, was a passenger. He said that he had come to New Zealand "to escape the English winter."