EXODUS FROM N.Z.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 January 1935, Page 6

EXODUS FROM N.Z.

MANY PASSAGES TO LONDON

TAX UPON ACCOMMODATION

WELLINGTON, January 9

iMoi'e people will go to London from New Zealand during the next three months than for a number of years. Only a few berths ate left on overseas passenger vessels sailing in February, ami bookings for March a>”e heavy. Jit is expected that April bookings will also be unduly heavy because of the scarcity of berths on ships due to said in the preceding months.

Ships travelling by way of Suez and Panama are equally affected. It is very difficult to secure accommodation at al on ; a P. and 0, ship to sail from Sydney in February. Apparently many people, after having delayed from time to time in the last few years, now intend. to have the holiday abroad they planned. No extraordinary trend is indicated in intercolonial bookings which are normal, At this season .many New Zeaandei's take a trip to Australia and this year the usual numbers have booked, but Australians in greater numbers also have decided to go to England this season and bookings are so numerous that there is little hope of obtaining berths to London on transhipment in Sydney. That has thrown more traffic than ever in New Zealand upon the direct overseas passenger service. The passenger n'epi'esntative of one intercolonial company said that returns during the period of the Victorian Centenary had been excellent and that, if there was no falling off as the result of the special rush, then the year would be an exceptionally good one. The fact that this year there will be the celebration of the King’s Jubilee may have had some bearing on the decision of travellers to go to England

for the summer the r e. A few weeks ago much of the homeward passenger traffic consisted of assisted immigrants who had decided to return to England. The general experience of the shipping companies seems n»w to be that the returning immigrant traffic has practically ceased. In any case, it was largely 'confined to vessels on the Panama route, and this year direct bookings' (to England f\ 'e almost equalled by the number of intending travellers via Canada and the United States, or through Australia and by the Suez Canal route.

Single-class tourist liners are proving increasingly popular with New Zealanders travelling to England on holiday. Cne line has two such vessels to sail via Panama in February, and at the end of March, and already passenger accommodation on both ships is practically fully booked.