THE MAKURA HER LAST VOYAGE OLD PASSENGER LIST

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 19 December 1936, Page 10

THE MAKURA

HER LAST VOYAGE

OLD PASSENGER LIST

The Union Company’s liner Makura arrived at Wellington this afternoon on her last trip to that port, for after her arrival she will lay up until January, when a crew will arrive to take delivery of her on behalf of Chinese buyers. The Makura has for many long years played her part in keeping alive the San Francisco service, now abandoned owing to subsidised American competition. (A picture of the Makura appears on page 6 of this issue).

Specially built for the Sydney-Auck-land-Vancouver service in 1908, the Makura took up her running in that year, maintaining it almost continuously for more than sixteen years. The vessel made about 100 voyages from Sydney to Vancouver, via Auckland, and continued on that service until she was replaced by the Aorangi and entered the San Francisco run. In 1885 the Union Company secured the contract for the carriage of the English mails via San Francisco, carrying on in conjunction with the Oceanic Steamship Company, of San Francisco. The well-known Mararoa pioneered the service from this end, and although she was withdrawn after a few voyages to take part in the intercolonial trade and mail service was carried on by the Union Company and the Oceanic Company for many years. In 1900 the Union Company’s connection with the San Francisco mail service ceased as a result of the United States legislation. The New Zealand company again entered the San Francisco run in 1909, inaugurating a monthly service her tween Wellington, Rarotonga, and Tahiti, connecting with the Oceanic Company’s steamer running between Tahiti and San Francisco. In the following year it was arranged with the New Zealand Government that larger and faster steamers should be put on, and the service continued right through to San Francisco, thus affording a monthly alternative mail to Great Britain. The itinerary was later extended to Sydney. For this service the steamer Port Kingston was purchased in 1911, and was renamed Tahiti. Since the loss of the Tahiti the service has been maintained by the Makura and Maunganui. An interesting souvenir has come to hand in the shape of a small blue paper folder, which is the Makura’s original passenger list of her maiden voyage from Glasgow in 1908. The lettering on the front covering of the passenger list begins, “Passenger list of T.S.S. Makura, 8200 tons reg„ 8500 horsepower, sailing from Glasgow on 26th September, 1908, for Melbourne and Sydney, via Cape Town and Durban.” On the second, page of the folder is a list of first saloon and second saloon passengers, and on the third page a list of regulations for passengers and a list of hours of meals. Among the regulations is wording to the effect that the bar closes at 10.30 p.rri., and the smoking-room at 11 p.m. Smoking is not allowed in the saloon, state-rooms, or passages, and books must be returned to the library when read, and must not he left on deck. The third page gives a list of third-class passengers, and the back of the folder gives a list of officers.