EAST COAST PORTS

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3993, 25 July 1913, Page 4

EAST COAST PORTS

ALLEGED INADEQUATE SERVICE [by TEEEGEAPH —SPECIAL COBEESPOHBENT] AUCKLAND, July 24. The statements made hy Mr S. J. Nathan, President of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, regarding shipping facilities on the East Coast published a day or two ago have aroused some resentment in local shipping circles. It is stated by a number of shipping company officials that the present service is a decided improvement on the old one, and that the statement made hy Mr Nathan must have been founded or a misconception of the position. It was said by Mr Nathan that when the Union Company was running the steamer Squall to the East Coast ports the trips made by that vessel were more frequent than those of the present service and further that now, under- new ownership, the Squall only ran once a fortnight j It was pointed out to r. ‘Star' re- y porter that the Squall had never been regularlv employed hy the I nion Company on the run to the East Coast ports, but had been confined to a weekly trip to Tologa Bay and Gisborne’. The small ports were worked by.the steamer Haupiri, which made the round trip once in _ about three weeks. When the Inion Company disposed of the Squall the Rosamond —a much larger steamer than the Squall—was put on the weekly trip to Tologa Bav and Gisborne, and still continues in that running. The Richardson Co., which has taken over the ownership of the. Squall, now keeps that steamer on the East Coast trade in the place of the Unoin Company’s Haupiri. The position, therefore’. is that at present the Rosamond runs weekly trips to Tologa Bay anc Gisborne, while the Squall makes fortnightly rounds of the smaller ports. This, when The larger size or the Rosamond in comparison with the Squall and the more frequent trips or the latter vessel are considered, is a decided improvement on the old service.