NEEDLESS DELAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 2, 4 January 1937, Page 10

NEEDLESS DELAY

PASSENGERS BY AWATEA

FEW HOLD UP MANY

While there are certain duties which the Port Health Officer, Dr. T. F. Corkill, and the Customs officers are required to carry out on the arrival of overseas liners, every effort is made by them to clear the ships as speedily as possible. There are times,' however, when circumstances arise that are beyond their control, and as a result passengers are needlessly delayed on a ship. An example of this occurred on the Awatea today when, through the tardiness of two or three passengers, all their fellow-passengers, over 400 ol them, were kept on board about half an hour longer than necessary. The Janie Seddon, with Dr. Corkul and the Customs officers on board, left the wharf shortly after 7 a.m. to await the arrival of the Awatea, which at this time had not even been signalled, off Worser Bay. . . Just after 8 o'clock the liner arrived, and within a few minutes of the Janie Seddon going alongside her the officials were hard at work as the Awatea moved up the harbour. The object of the Customs officers in going out to meet the incoming overseas liners 13 to reduce the waiting time of passengers to an absolute minimum. By the time the Awatea reached the Queen's Wharf all but a few of the passengers had handed in the P a P®" required of them, and a great number of them were waiting in the main vestibule to leave the ship. Owing, however, to the fact that two or three passengers had not passed the Customs authorities, no one was allowed to feave the ship, and although the names of those wanted were called out a number of times over the loudspeaker system installed on the Awatea hall an hour or so elapsed before all had fulfilled the requirements. It was pointed out by one of the passengers that it was hardly fair to the authorities, who "had don e their best-to attend to their work as speedi y as possible, that the passengers should be held up by the inconsiderate action of a few. A delay of half an hour, he said might result in passengers missing their connections with trains or service cars.