MEMORABLE TRIP

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20067, 13 October 1939, Page 2

MEMORABLE TRIP

SHIP REQUISITIONED LINER FOR AUSTRALIA TROUBLES OF PASSENGERS' EXPERIENCE AT BOMBAY One of approximately 100 New Zealanders who were temporarily stranded at Bombay when the liners in which they were returning home were commandeered by the Admiralty, Mr. C. E. Robertson, bloodstock and stud stock manager for Wright, Stephenson and Company, Limited, Wellington, has reached Auckland. War was regarded as inevitable when the ship in which he was travelling was at Marseilles, said Mr. Robertson, and an early effect of the outbreak was felt when the liner entered tropical waters and all openings were covered by night. At Bombay the liner was commandeered and all the passengers, about 500, were put ashore . Among the passengers, said Mr. Robertson, were a number of Australians and a few New Zealanders, and all found that they had to do the best they could for themselves. This contingent was augmented by the passengers from another Australia-bound liner which had been requisitioned earlier, and to assist those who were finanaifclly unprepared for the emergency the Australians and New Zealanders each formed a committee and sent cablegrams to their respective Governments. The New Zealand committee, which was headed by Mr. C. W. C. Gardiner, New Zealand representative at Bombay, received £SOO from the actingPrime Minister, the Hon. P. Fraser, and the Australians received £IOOO from the Australian Government. After spending some days up-country at Poona, Mr. Rouertson was able to join a ship for Colombo, where a specially-chartered liner arrived to pick up a total of 800 marooned passengers and take them to Australia.