SHIP’S PASSENGERS CONFUSED

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 258, 29 July 1939, Page 15

SHIP’S PASSENGERS CONFUSED

Date Line Crossed Four

Times

Passengers who returned to Auckland yesterday morning by the Maunganul after a visit to Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and New Caledonia had the unique experience of crossing the date line four times in the short period of nine days, thus sampling two Fridays, two Tuesdays, and omitting two Saturdays. Leaving Auckland ou Thursday, July 6, for Rarotonga, the vessel crossed the date line the next day. which resulted In two Fridays. On the night of the second Friday the Maunganui received orders, on account of smallpox at, Tahiti, to proceed to Tonga. This necessitated crossing the date line again that night, thus advancing the day to Sunday, July 9, accordingly losing the Saturday. Subsequently, visiting Vavau and proceeding to Apia caused her to double back over the line and two Tuesdays resulted. The vessel, after leaving Pago Pago, shaped a course for Levuka in the Fiji group, and the final hop over the line, tips time the Saturday being omitted.

The confusion of days and dates on board was not without Its humorous side. The omission of two Saturdays caused more than one astute husband to hope that his wife would forget the usual Saturday pay-day. One young lady was to hold her twenty-first birthday on Saturday, July 8, but as that date did not occur she -will thus have the happy experience of never having been twenty-one. In addition to the conflict of dates it is remarkable that in the space of 12 days the Maunganui visited countries governed by five different nations — Tonga, under its own administration; Samoa (New Zealand), Pago Pago (U.S.A.), Fiji (British), New Caledonia (French).