SHIPPING SERVICES

Evening Star, Issue 19126, 18 December 1925, Page 8

SHIPPING SERVICES

EXTRA VESSELS RUNNING HEAVY BCOKiHGS From Wellington complaints have come regarding accommodation on the Lyttelton ferry steamer for next week. According to report, those especially affect women and children. However, the Union Steam Ship Company is coiling with traffic very well, and those who wish to come to Dunedin to see what the city can offer in the way of an Exhibition will find that extra steamers will bo running to carry passengers to and fro. The new steamer Tamahino will make a daylight trip across the Strait on Christmas Day, leaving Wellington at 8.15 a.m., and reaching Lyttelton early in the evening. She will return immediately in order to leave the capital port on Boxing Day in the Picton service. 'J'ho bookings for trips from Wellington to Lyttelton and from Lyttelton to Wellington are very heavy, and practically no accommodation is available on south-bound vessels until after December ;!0. Tiie ferry boats to Wellington have been booked almost fully up to December 24, so passengers who propose letnming north from Dunedin in January should apply early for berths.

The Wahine has proper accommodation lor about 8f)0 persons., and the Maori for over 700, but makeshift accommodation can be provided for men. Ou December 28 and December 24 additional daylight trips from Wellington to Lyttelton will be made by the Wain’no, and on December 24 the Mararoa will sail at 10 p.m. for the Canterbury port, so that there will be three sailings on that date. Tim Mararoa can carry only about 250 passengers, but in a. few days thousands of people will cross Cook Strait for Lyttelton and further south.

On January 4 the Maori will make a daylight trip from AVellington to Lyttelton, while the Mararoa is due hero ou Sunday night from Wellington direct. Tim Mararoa is listed fo sail on Wednesday for Wellington, and she is corning to Dunedin on the first ol a series of weekly trips. Each Saturday she should leave Wellington lor this port direct. Not only the Now Zealand ferry services arc being affected by the Exhibition, for the Manuka and the Mooraki arc visiting Australia, leaving Dunedin at about intervals of nine days. 'J'ho Manuka sails from this port about every seventeen days lor Lyttelton, Wellington, and Melbourne, while the Mooraki is to depart about every seventeen days for Bluff, Milford Sound, and Melbourne. At present the Mooraki is at Port Chalmers, but she is to leave on Monday with passengers and cargo for the Commonwealth.