T.M.V. SOUTHLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20292, 28 December 1927, Page 13

T.M.V. SOUTHLAND.

A NOTABLE TOWING FEAT. ni°st of our readers are aware the Bluff Harbour Board’s new tug Southland is primarily _ designed as a towing vessel, her adaptation for the passenger service (o Stewart Island being a secondary matter. Ample opportunity has now been given to test her capabilities as a passenger boat and the large number of tourists who are at present crowding to the island is sufficient testimony to her popularity In this respect. On the other hand, no opportunity had been given to guage the vessel’s ability for the major, and more important, work for which she had been designed until last week whan the Harbour Board entered into a contract to tow the steamer Tarawera from Port Chalmers to Paterson’s Inlet, a distance of some 160 miles. The Tarawera was built in Dumbarton in 1882 and is of 1994 tons gross and 1241 tons net. Her length is 285 it. She has spent a long and useful career in the AustralianNew Zealand passenger service, her great stability establishing her as a favourite with the travelling public. For some years she had been lying up in Otago Harbour and has now been sold to the Norwegian Ross Whaling Company to be used as a coal hulk and store ship at the company’s base in Paterson’s Inlet. Negotiations having been completed on Saturday, the 17th Inst., the tug Southland left Bluff at 6 p.m. on Sunday and arrived at Port Chalmers on Monday morning. She left that port with the Tarawera in tow at 2.15 p.m. on the same day and the Sin steel towing hawser was paid out to the last coil. The Tarawera had accumulated an extensive marine growth on her hull during her stay in Port Chalmers, and this made her a heavy tow. Fine weather was experienced all the way and the tug made from 180 to 200 revolutions and arrived at Paterson’s Inlet at 8.15 p.m, on Tuesday evening, and after mooring her charge berthed at Bluff at midnight. Captain Lindsay, harbourmaster, who was in charge of the tow, expressed his confident opinion that, with some necessary modifications, the vessel would be quite suitable for ordinary harbour work and would give a good account of herself as far as sea-towage was concerned. Captain W. Barber, of Bluff, was in charge of the Tarawera, supported by a contingent of Stewart Islanders, and the arrangements worked like clock-work. It is worthy of note that Captain Lindsay was at one time, in command of the Tarawera, of the sailing qualities of which ho had a high opinion. Altogether it is gratifying to the Harbour Board to know that flic tug has come so satisfactorily through this t»st of her towing capabilities. THE LICENSING ISSUE. TO THE EDITOR. Sir —After the fact had boon made painfully evident by our friends of (ho liquor camp I admitted that the request for pledges from candidates was open to attack and condemnation. “ Anti-Coercion ” construes this into an admission that the attack and condemnation are necessarily sensible, honest, and convincing in their obvious truth. May I gently remind tills correspondent that attack and condemnation are one thing, victory and justification for the attack are altogether different. The latter has not been so far supplied by anyone writing on behalf of (he liquor traffic. But does no one in the liquor camp perceive the humour of supporting a recognised evil in our midst and in the same breath condemning the efforts of the prohibitionist in atempting to rid us of that blot. It is, I am afraid, a little thread-' bare to reiterate once again the gnat and camel-swallowing simile, but really, the example exactly fits the present ease as, of course, it docs, and must, the whole activities of those who favour the continuance of the drink evil. I admit to making one error, however, In the epistle quoted by your correspondent I expressed the opinion that no other activities of the prohibition methods were open to attack and condemnation. That was, of course, a gross error on my part. It is possible, wo all know, for ignorance, prejudice, fear inspired by avarice and kindred emotion? to attack anything which these attributes do not. cannot, or will not, try to linderstand. The most elementary principles of justice, mercy, and charity are attacked every time a tirade is launched against prohibition. lam re luctantly compelled" In confess lliat all the claims and efforts of the prohibitionists are open to attack and condemnation, hut when due consideration is given to the appetite, prejudice, fear and ignorance winch in spires it, I do not think any of us need be seriously alarmed regarding its incentive or worth. Its progress and success among minds of like nature are of importance to us all and the measure of success, so fa t attained, constitutes the barrier between our present day reprehensible state and that brighter, cleaner, happier and more prosperous era which prohibition of the liquor traffic would usher in.—l am, etc.. Liberty.

One of the favourite flowers of the Royal Family is the carnation. Roth the Queen and Princess Mary prefer the pink carnation “ Laddie.” probably because it harmonists so well with their fair, clear, complexions, and (heir favourite shades of grey and blue. The King always wears a white blossom in his buttonhole. and “White Pearl” is his favourite. The Prince of Wales set the fashion for claretcoloured carnations with evening dress by always wearing the “ Topsy ” shade, which is a lovely wine colour. The Duchess of York prefers the one named after her, the official description of which is “salmon overlaid cerise.”