FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 94, 22 April 1933, Page 22

FIFTY YEARS AGO

•. What • was thought .to be another relic ■of the ' Hannah' Barrett, which was reported wrecked in' last' week's notes, came; to/light .fifty years ago. About tea miles north of Cape Palliser Mr. John Barton came across a portion of a small deckhouse. It was about ift 6in wide and painted white. Mr. Barton, stated that the relic was built of kauri planking covered with a white canvas top and bolted down by an arched strap-bolt. Further signs of wreckage were also found by other men. Som& hatchway combings were picked up on the beach near White Bock, and. a piece of timber resembling the foremast of the missing vessel was found near Sinclair Head. The barque Kilmeny, 792 tons, arrived in port on April 17, 1883, after a voyage of 123 days from London. She experienced some • bad. weather before crossing the Equator,- and lost yards and sails in heavy seas and .-strong winds. She called at Tristan da Cunha on February 22, and subsequently met with further gales, which, however, did no further damage. The Kilmeny brought six passengers to New Zealand. Some time ago it was reported in these notes that the Patea Shipping Company had obtained a new steamer, the Waverley, liut that the insurance companies would not issue a policy to cover the vessel in Patea port. It was announced fifty years ago that the company had decided to run the Waverley without coverage irrespective of the supposed liability involved in entering the harbour at Patea. A cable message from Sydney on April 18, 1883, stated that the New South Wales Legislative Assembly had tabled a resolution regarding the San Francisco mail service. The motion provided for the extension of the service for a period of two years. The subsidy was fixed at £50,000, of which £18,150 was to be contributed by New South Wales on the understanding that the contract time should be shortened by twenty-four hours for the first year, and forty-eight hours for the second year. The company was to be released from the obligation of keeping a fourth steamer in the service. ' Tho following was the . operative clause of a new bylaw in reference to pilotage which was to be brought forward at a Harbour Board meeting:— "All pilotage rates shall be paid either before or at the same time when application for a pilot shall be made, and such rates shall not be returned except in cases where the pilot shall have wrongfully refused or neglected to take charge of tho vessels in respect of which the same were paid." The clause evidently arose out of the case in which the Lady Joeelyn was involved.. Tho vessel engaged a pilot, and then sailed out of the harbour before that official arrived.

Mr. A. B. Stewart has been unanimously re-elected chairman, and Mr. G. H. Valentine honorary treasurer, of Lloyd's Underwriters' Association.