The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, MAY 31, 1913.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 3946, 31 May 1913, Page 6

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, MAY 31, 1913.

With the sailing of the steamer Taka-

puna last night the initial season In connection with the

A Boon that will be Greatly Missed

ferry service between Gisborne and Napier came to a close. It is now some six months ago, ill we remember aright, since the vessel inaugurated the service, and it will be generally agreed' that it has proved such a, great boon that its discontinuance for perhaps some months to come will be severely felt. In regard to the excellent ferry service that has been in force it is of course the position that it was not expected that the Union S.S. Company would, for the first season, receive an adequate reward for its enterprise in the matter. How much was lost, or made, over the service during the season has not been revealed, but we should not be surprised to learn that the owners of the vessel are, under all the circumstances, well satisfied with the results. If it had been generally known earlier in the season that the Takapuna was such a speedy and comfortable boat it is unquestionably the position that the venture would have proved more profitable. As is well-known the ferry boat did not even then gain anything like an entire monopoly of the passenger business between the two ports. It is, however, safe to assert that the running of the Takapuna resulted in the development of a good deal of traffic, which would not have arisen under other circumstances. What did also help matters, from a monetary point of view, was the fact that the vessel was able to undertake the transportation of regular shipments of shingle from Napier to Gisborne under contract with the.local Borough Council. Especially during the past few months has the ferry service proved a great blessing, for at times it will be admitted the weather was such as to give no guarantee as to whether the usual coastal boats would be able to carry out their timetable obligations. When the matter of the adverse weather is taken into consideration it must be agreed then that the Takapuna has afforded the two ports a very creditable ferry service, even from the standpoint of regularity. For this fortunate state of affairs the public is undoubtedly greatly indebted to Captain Foster, who, as captain of the vessel, has proved “the right man in the right place” ; and also to Mr Preston, the local manager for the Union S.S. Co., who has also left no stone unturned in his effort to make the initial ferry season a conspicuous success. The announcement that the service is to he l'ecoinmenced much earlier next season would be a very popular item of news.