HOW WAS IT BUNGLED?

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9093, 12 July 1915, Page 2

HOW WAS IT BUNGLED?

DEPARTURE OF THE HOSPITAL SHIP.

Much disappointment prevailed on the King’s wharf on Saturday .afternoon when many people went down to bid farewell to the hospital ship’s company and found that she had gone out into the stream. An impression had got abroad that the hour of departure was to be 2 p.m., but whether this had any real foundation is not ascertainable. The fact remains, however, that the ship left the wharf before about 1 o’clock, and a number of people were deprived of an opportunity of saying good-bye to relatives among those on board.

Even those who arrived during the morning were subjected to keen _disappointmont. ■ Some gained admission to the ship, but when His Excellency the Governor went aboard between 10 and 11 o’clock the order went forth that visitors must leave at once. Not even members of the families of leading officers of the hospital staff, or the Mayoiess of Wellington, were exempt; all had to leave at Once, Who was responsible for this no one knew; it surely was the result of official, bungling somewhere. Ladies had to stand in heavy rain and wave to relatives on the ship, which all the time was moored to the wharf and made no sign of leaving. Strong indignation was expressed on all sides at the fact ■ that people who had given and done so much for the ship—many were giving up those nearest and dearest to them to go on this errand of mercy to the war zone—should be denied a last opportunity of saying farewell; all because apparently some official mind had a wrong conception of what was “'correct” in the presence of the King's representative. The) occasion was not, however,, an official visit of inspection; that had taken place the day .before. His Excellency went as one specially interested in the ship, as hundreds of others were, and he will no doubt be deeply pained to, learn that his presence should have led; inadvertently to the wounding of so many people’s feelings.