MELBOURNE-BLUFF

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 60, 12 March 1934, Page 8

MELBOURNE-BLUFF

LOST PASSENGER TRADE

RE-ESTABLISHMENT WANTED

The re-establishment of the passenger steamer service between Melbourne and Bluff in view of the approaching Mcl- , bourne Centenary celebrations was dis- . cussed at a meeting of the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce last week, re--1 ports the Southland "Daily News." i Replies were read from the other Cham- ; bers of Commerce to which the chamber : recently wrote asking their assistance. ' The Goro Chamber1 gave an assurance 1 of hearty support; the Timaru Chamber | also declared its intention of assisting in any way possible. ' Tho Dunedin Chamber stated that it was as anxious a:- Invercargill. to get the service, but felt that much could not be done-unless the Union Company could bo v assured of reasonable passenger traffic. ' Tho president (Mr. C. B. Tapley) -said there was no doubt that there would be a big influx of tourists for 'tho Melbourne Centenary. Tho all-important thing was that they should be brought over to New Zealand. The south had much to offer them. He considered the prospects of the service doing well if it were run were decidedly good. In his opinion the re-establishment of the old horse-shoe run from Melbourne to Bluff, on to Dunedin, Lyttelton, Wellington, and back to Sydney, with another steamer crossing in tho opposite direction might be. preferable to a service simply between Bluff and Melbourne, since it would avoid a certain amount of cargo transhipment. Mr. H. S. Cordery said that tho important thing was to have the matter settled as early as possible so that the High Commissioner in London could make the service known among visitors from Home. -' Mr. D. J. Wesncy agreed, and mentioned that he had received a cable from Mr. J. M. Fisher, of Hobart, a keen advocate of the Bluff-Melbourne service and of the reform of tho Commonwealth Navigation /ct, who had been doing all he could in Tastatania ahd in Melbourne to encourage the demand for the service, and would be visiting New Zealand within the next two months. Mr. Cordery remarked that if the success of trips such as that recently made by the Monowai to the West Coast Sounds were widely known, it would bo possible to run many such excursions for overseas visitors. It was resolved that the SouthlandLeague be asked to communicate with the Union Company and bring before them the necessity for haste in view of the fact that prospective visitors to the Centenary celebrations would have their plans made aheacL It was decided also to ask the Prime Minister to expedite his reply to the requests made to him on this subject by the deputation which waited on him during his recent visit to Invercargill. .The Chamber further resolved to send the Dunedin Chamber a copy of the letter from the Union : Company forwarded by the league in : which the company declared that it was keenly sympathetic towards .the desire for the service.