50 YEARS AGO

Hokitika Guardian, 22 May 1933, Page 7

50 YEARS AGO

PASSENGER TICKET NO.I

THE FIRST DIRECT STEAMER

A unique souvenir of the voyage of whe first direct steamer from London oc Auckland, the steamship Westmeath, which arrived 50 years ago to-day, is in the possession of Captain William Bark, of the Northern Steamship Company. it is the first passenger ticket issued for the voyage and, as such, is stamped No. 1. The ticket bears the names of the parents and several children on whose behalf it was issued, each child under 13 years of age being assessed as half a “statute adult.” A weekly dietary scale is printed on the ticket, which states that to each .adult will be issued three quarts of water a day, exclusive of what is necessary for cooking the articles required by the Passenger Act to be issued in a cooked state. An extra quart of water a day was allowed to each passenger while in the tropics

Xne food scale entitled each adult to a. weekly ration of lflb. of preserved neat and lib. each of salt beef and salt pork. The meat ration for children oi from one to' twelve years was lib. lOoz. of preserved meat. Other adult rations included 14oz. of biscuit, oflb of flour, l4oz. each of rice and oatirieal, half- 1 pint of peas, lib. i*ttW sugar, tea, 2oz. of roasted coffee, ooz. 0 f butter and £lb. of molasses. A footnote states “The flour, with the exception of 11 on Sundays and \\w, ! an Tuesdays, will be issued to the baker to be made into soft bread daily and issued as bread to the passengers. Completing the weekly ration for adults were B<ys of raisins, 6oz of suet, quarter-pint of pickles, |oz. 0 f mustard, f oz of pepper, 2oz. of salt, 31b. of fresh potatoes or fib. of preserved potatoes, 6oz. of limejuice while in the tropics, Boz. of carrots and 3oz. of onions. No onions were provided for children, but, with the exception of these and salt beef and salt pork, they were issued with all the adult rations according to scale. In addition, they were allowed preserved soup and preserved milk, which the adults 'did not get. Provision was made for babies less than a year old.