A LITTLE HISTORY

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 24, 29 January 1924, Page 6

A LITTLE HISTORY

HAEBOUB FERRY SERVICES.

The inauguration of the new Welling-ton-Seatoun-Karaka' Bay service yesterday recalls the service that catered for these bays over twenty years ago, but it was found advisable to discontinue about 1908. It was on 17th October, 1901, that, the ferry service originally started with the steamer Loyalty, owned by the Miramar Ferry1 - Company. The service then catered for a number of small settlers who had been provided ,with transport by a bus service, over Worsijr Bay Hill, connecting with thetrams at Constable street. This arrangement had proved most inconvenient, and the settlers "had appealed to the original Steam Ferry Company for a service. As the result of an undertaking from the company the road board which had charge of the. district built wharves at Miramar, Seatoun, and Karaka -Bay, and again applied to the company. The company then announced that, after having reconsidered the matter, it had decided that there was not sufficient people at the bays to warrant the service, and none would be started 1 until there were more residents. This led to a number of the residents of the district and others interested forming the Miramar Ferry Company, which immediately commenced a service with the Loyalty. Within a few weeks the Steam Ferry Company decided to run in opposition, and a boat named the Countess was placed on the run againEt the Loyalty. The traffic grew rapidly, to the accompaniment of a good, deal of controversy. The Countess was taken from the Day's Bay run, and was replaced by the Duchess. The service to Day's Bay at that time was also causing quite a lot of discussion, and a very irregular timetable was maintained,/except on holidays. / The opposition in the Karaka Bay run continued for about five years. Then a number of shareholders in the Miramar Company bought out the principal shareholder in the Ferry Company, and the two companies amalgamated,' calling ' the resulting company the Wellington Harbour Ferries. This company maintained a service to Day's Bay and BonaBay, as well as to the bays in which the old Miramar Company was chiefly I interested. Various ships were used, the Cobar coming into use after a new Ferry steamer—the Duco—had been lost at the Chatham Islands. About 1906, representations were first made to the Eastbourne Borough Council with a view to forming a company to take over the Harbour Ferries, and this finally resulted in the present control. In 1908' the Miramar service was considerably curtailed, owing to tramway competition, and as the private companies which first forced the. tramways in that portion of the city got the lines out,'the boats became less and less payable, and they were finally taken off the run altogether. ■ .