MAORI NAMES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 9, 11 January 1908, Page 7

MAORI NAMES.

Referring to the purchase by the Union Company of another steamer of the well-known " X " class, the vessel being practically the facsimile of the steamer Kaiapoi, now lying at Dunedin, the Otago Daily Times says:— Following its well-established custom in .the naming of the vessels comprising this class, the new vessel'will be called Kaitangata,. after :the wellknown lake of that name. According Jbo one authority, Kaitangata was a mythical personage, a son • -of the Maori god Rehua, a literal translatfon of the word being equivalent to "powerful man's food.' Maori names, however, have an awkward habit of assuming secondary meanings under varying circumstances, consequently the fact that the vessel is to be called Kaitangata will be quite sufficient for most people. "Makura" is the Maori name which the company has bestowed upon the large new steamer now being built on j 'the Clyd©- In its full sense^tife word | appears to be the Maori equivalent i for "All Red," .a name which is! , singularly appropriate at the present I juncture, carrying with it a sugges- | tion of loyalty and kinship between , the, United Kingdom and the .oversea colonies. The prefix " ma," apparently, denotes "plenty," ,or abundance, whilst the suffix "kurtf" denotes * 'red." The new vessel, which is to be about 450 ft in length, will represent the largest vessel in the Red Funnel fleet ? ' and will" doubtless-: be engaged eventually in the Vancouver 'service, in which event she will be afforded an appropriate setting for the euphonious title which has been bestowed upon her.