FEWER PASSENGERS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 11, 12 July 1930, Page 10

FEWER PASSENGERS

A SEASONAL DEPRESSION

INTERCOLONIAL SERVICE

CURTAILED

Preference was made in. "The Post" last week to the fact that the intercolonial steamers Maunganui and Marama, which left Wellington and Auckland on 4th July for Sydney, carried only 47 and 39 saloon passengers respectively. The Makura, which is duo at Wellington on Monday morning from Sydney, in the San Francisco mail service, carries only 30 saloon passengers for Wellington, and there are 48 on the Marama, which is due on Tuesday from Sydney.

The above figures illustrate very clearly tho extent of the slump in the intercolonial passenger traffic at the present time, a slump which is attributed to the financial depression prevailing on both sides of the Tasman. Tho amount of cargo offering also shows a decided falling-off, although this does not affect the passenger steamers to any great extent.

In. view of these conditions, the Union Company, which owns the regular intercolonial vessels Mauuganui and Marama, has decided to curtail the service for the winter months, and the Marama will withdraw on her arrival at Wellington on Tuesday. The service will be maintained by the Maunganui, and the- Huddart-Parker Company's Ulimaroa, running in conjunction with tho transpacific vessels, Aorangi and Niagara,1 which call at Auckland on the Sydney-Vancouver run and the Makura and Tahiti, which include Wellington in their itinerary in the San Francisco service.

The intercolonial sailing dates have been re-arranged to provide regular intervals botweeu the departures and arrivals at Wellington and Auckland. The programme has been drawn up with a view to having the intercolonial steamers calling at the two ports on weeks when there are no transpacific steamers making tho same trip. Tho Ulimaroa's dates have been slightly rearranged so that she will not double on tho Maunganui. In commencing the revised service next week, the Maunganui will leave Auckland about Wednesday for Wellington, being duo here on Friday morning and sailing the samo afternoon for Sydney. She will return' to Wellington tho following week from Sydney, and will proceed from Wellington to Auckland, leaving Auckland on Ist August for Sydney. Wellington passengers will bo able to leave for Sydney 0 that week by the Tahiti, which is to'sail on 29th July. The Maunganui will work ou a triangle, returning each time from Sydney to the port, Wellington or Auckland, from which she ar-

Tlio alteration as it affects the- Ulimaroa, is that instead of leaving Sydney on Ist August for Auckland, as she would ordinarily have done, she will sail for Wellington. From then on she will run as usual, calling at Wellington ■ and Auckland on alternate trips.