MONOWAI TAKEN OFF SERVICE

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26393, 11 April 1951, Page 6

MONOWAI TAKEN OFF SERVICE

400 Passengers Booked

FEW CHANCES OF AIR TRAVEL /New Zealand PfU» Atsoctation) _ WELLINGTON, April 10. The passenger liner Monowai, which X&to savs taken 400 passenger, from Wellington to Sydney to-morrow, has been withdrawn from service indefinitely. Announcing this, the Union Steam Ship Company said It was faking efforts to find alternative means of getting priority passengers to Austra“Tha Withdrawal of the Monowai is regretted, but because of the crew's gets. Some are Australians ana other, ships the United W latter have booked passages on ships sailing in the immediate future. Every effort is being made by the £ ,n s? any ’J n conjunction with Tasman Empire Airways, to arrange alternative passages by air whenever pracWl’th the Monowai withdrawn, the Wanganella will carry on the Aus-tralia-New Zealand passenger service alone. The Wanganella is not affected by the Seamen’s strike as het crew are signed under Australian articles. However, the Wellington office of the Huddart Parker Line, owners of the Wanganella, could hold out little hope to-day for people wishing to get to Australia who had been previously booked for future trips in the Monowai. The Wanganella will sail from Auckland for Sydney to-morrow. Every berth has been booked for the trip. Her next three trips from New Zealand are also booked out—from Auckland ah April 26 and from Wellington on May 10 and 24. The Wellington office of Tasman Empire Airways could not hold out any hope for passengers stranded by the Monowai’s Withdrawal. On the present schedule of flights from Wellington there was not an empty seat oh any of the flying-boats until May 8, and seats for that day’s fight were expected to be all taken in a short time. Aircraft were again booked out after that until May 14.