A CONTRAST!

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1310, 13 December 1911, Page 4

A CONTRAST!

IMMIGRANT SHIPS 01' TO-J.IAV. "Wljnt ;i contrast! A few years ago :■ 11 immigrant slap leaving Loudon for Now Zealand had a journey of months and mouths lxd'oro it, but to-day the some old distance can lie covered in 10 ilav.-' comfortably going. Thos,. wen; tin- thoughts that were uppermost as one Hoiked duivn the Queen's Wliai'l'imSlitiirdiiy morning, and witnessed the disembarkation of some .'iliS immigrants from the New Zealand Shipping Company's steamer Tongariro. "Well, how did you while away tin. weary hours of your long voyage?" was the question put to a broad-shouldered, line-looking young immigrant. "Weary hours!" was Die scornful reply. ".'Do you know, Mister, there has not been one weary hour during tho whole time wo have been aboard. We have had a jolly good time. too. Games, competitions, and all sorts of amusements have been carried out, ami the voyage has been made more pleasant on account of the good weather wo have experienced." This opinion was borne out by several of his fellow-passengers. "Yes," he said, in answer to a further question, "it was jolly cold coining through the Southern Ocean, hut the weather was fine.' The three hundred odd passengers were berthed fore and aft and amidships, and had the run of the ship from stem to stern. Having ■ been employed in tho direct service between Xow Zealand and London, until her last voyage Home, the Tongariro is essentially a passenger ship, and her spacious decks were much appreciated by her passengers. Assisted passengers numbered 357, ind among these were 105 domestic servants, 51) farm labourers, a ploughman, and 29 wives who came out to rejoin their husbands. -■ In some instances there were largo families on board, seven, eight, nine, and even eleven-beir.g the number of children .comprising them in some eases. Capital .ranging from SAO to .£2OO was brought by the- passengers. Miss. Da'll, assisted by Miss M. A. Cook, bad charge of the girls, the greater number of.whom have gone to situations in Hawke's Bay. All the 105 domestics were engaged before they left London. Throughout the,'-long voyage the health of the ship'a company was excellent, and there were no sicknesses and no accidents to report. The Tongariro's officers speak in high terms of the class of immigrants that came out in the vessel. There was one thing particularly noticeablo on the voyage, and that was that when the Tongariro was about a fortnight out the domestic girls became restive and .wanted work to do. They took to keeping ■their cabins and other parts of the vessel in. order, and on- arrival she looked as clean as.on the-day.she left London. In fact one'of the .officers said that he had never seen cabin's kept so clean and neat on a voyage like' this one was.