VANCOUVER SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17362, 8 January 1920, Page 9

VANCOUVER SERVICE.

DELAYS TO STEAMERS, * ■.' V .« " ■ ... " EPIDEMIC AND STRIKES. RECORD OF 15 MONTHS. . I The detention of the Niagara at Sydney through the engineers' strike.is, another of the many delays to which the Vancouver mail steamers have been subject I during the last 15 months. Ever since the outbreak of the influenza epidemic, : the' running of the steamers in this ser- . vice has been very erratic o\w'ng first to i quarantine restrictions and latterly to in- i dustrial troubles. . To fulfil the terms of the subsidised ] mail contract., one of the steamers should > leave Sydney about the same date as the ' other leaves Vancouver, the two steamers ' engaged in the service thus nuking 13 round trips a year. Tho Union Company ' has made every effort to maintain a re- ; liable t'ue-table, but the running of tho . steamers has been repeatedly disorgnaised.. : Delay to one vessel in port while the other ' is at sea results in the closing of the gap between them, so that fresh arrangements have to be made to restore the norma] disposition. Thus on throe occa- ' sions during the past 14 months, the , Auckland-Sydney trip has been omitted, twice by the Makura and once by the Niagara. The Vancouver mail service was carried on with exceptional regularity during the war, but since hostilities ceased circumstances beyond the control of the owners have continually caused disorganisation of the timetable. In most cases, the two vessels were held up at either Auckland or Sydney. Tho first serious delay occurred in October, 1918, at the beginning of the influenza opidemic when the Niagara arrived at Auckland from Vancouver with 150 cases oi sickness on board. The epidemic was responsible for the steamers being delayed at intervals for some months, and when the health conditions became normal, tho seamen's strike in Australia caused further dislocation. Tho Australian engineers. strike is the latest trouble and it is not known how long the Niagara will be delayed at Sydney. The Makura is duo from Vancouver on Sunday and is timed to sail (or Sydney on Monday. If the strike is not ended, she also may be held up there. In normal circumstances, 14 days cover the period from the date of arrival at Auckland tntil that of departure for Vancouver, ait-cr the trip to Sydney. How this s^:t of the voyage has been extended ii trie past year is shown by the following table, tho third column giving the f '&t« of sailing from Auckland to Vancouver: —

-Sydney Sailed for Vessel. Trip. Vancouver. Niagara 35 days Nov. 16 Maknra 56 days Jan. 25 Niagara 31 days J«n. 'JO Makura 9 days* Mar 31 Niagara 38 days April 19 Makura 9 days' May 14 Niagara 26 days* Juno 25 Niagara 39 days Sept. 13 Makura 50 flays Sept. 16 Niagara 18 daya Nov. 8 Matura 23 days Nor. 24 'Did not go to Sydney. On her last trip the Niagara arrived at Auckland on December 18, and proceeding'to Sydney, is still at the latter port,