STEAMER SERVICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22257, 9 May 1934, Page 8

STEAMER SERVICE

BLUFF TO MELBOURNE VOICES OF PROTEST UNION COMPANY CRITICISED ▲ meeting of a committtee of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, with representatives of other bodies, wag held in the- Chamber of Commerce boardroom last night to consider the latest phases of the proposed Melbourne-South Island steamer service. There were present Messrs R. C. Burgess (chairman), H. C. Campbell, R. Duncan, J. J. Marlow, W. D. Lambert, D. W. M'Coy, A. A. Pa ape, R. S. Black, G. Simpson, A. Smiley, R. G. Hill, and the secretary (Mr H. P. West). The assistant general manager of tbe Union Steam Ship Company, writing from Wellington on May 3, stated that in order to cater for the centenary traffic and at the same time provide an opportunity for tourist traffic from Melbourne direct to Bluff, and from Bluff direct to Melbourne, the steamer Maheno would operate a three-weekly service, commencing from Dunedin on November 6. As an additional attraction the time table provided for four calls at Milford Sound —two inwards from Melbourne and two outwards to Melbourne. The vessel would withdraw on March 19, provided the traffic was maintained to that date.

Letters on the Bubject were received from the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, the Southland League, the Invercargill Progress. League, and the lnvercargill Chamber of Commerce, assuring the Dunedin Chamber of the willingness of these bodies to co-operate in any steps taken to restore the service. It was urged by several of the writers that the service should start early in October. '- The chairman said that since the last meeting of the committee the Union Compaany had made an announcement. It was not a satisfactory announcement, in that the boat would not leave Port Chalmers until early in November, and there might be some objection to the boat itself. Public opinion in Otago and Southland was that the Maheno would 'give a good chance of sp&iling the service. He was glad they had the support of other bodies. They did not have the support of the Government, but they had the support of the people in the south. • "It seems as if the Union Company has set out ; to kill our efforte/V said Mr Marlow, whose remark was received with several " Hear, hears." The company wa» going to put * service on the line that would not get anybody to Melbourne at the required time. As business men, they must recognise that the company, in its own interests, woyld divert passengers to one port and Bend them from that port. That, however, could only be done at the expense of time and money to southern people, and southern people could .not-sit down under that sort of thing. They had asked for a service to show--that such a service was practicable, and now the company gave a service that 75 per cent, of the people who wished to go over could hot use. Then, later on, the company would turn; round and say, " See how poorly the service pays." If Dunedin was alive steps would be taken to get , another company to put a boat on the run if the Union Company would not do it. The Mayors of Port Chalmers and «'- West Harbour had communicated with him, saying l they heartily approved-of the object of;the meeting. "We must make our claim, loud and strong, and if we dont we will make Dunedin a back number, concluded Mr Marlow.. '•':■ Mr Paape said the steamer programme announced was unsatisfactory. The steamer was to leave the Bluff on its first trip on November 7 and ,arrive in Melbourne on November 11;'come back to Dunedin on November 20, and reach Wellington on November 22; arid then: leave Wellington for Bluff.i so that Dunedin people who wished to go to Melbourne on that trip would have to go to Bluif to join the boat. As for the centenary ■ programme, they knew that up to Novem- " ber 11 no fewer 'than 40 events would take- place, all -of which the .passengers - by the Maheno on its first trip would miss. One of ibe events was the exhibitioi. which would be open from October 13 to November 12, The Air Race was to finish' at Melbourne on October 20. These and other attractions had been set out byHhe Mayor* and he (Mr Paape) need not detail them. If any company had set itself' out to spoil the chances of a Melbourne-Bluff service no company could'have done more in that way than the' Union Company. As far as the Government was concerned, he thought they ! should protest; against any subsidy being fiven to a service sdeh as that proposed, "urther, though a service was announced, nothing was said about excursion fares to Melbourne. "We are a long-suffer-ing people in Dunedin, and the position is so serious that we should request nis Worship the Mayor to convene a public meeting."—("Hear, hear;") The speakers at the meeting should be representative of the public bodies of the city, and they should stress the late starting of the service, the unsatisfactory steamer,- and the : few trips proposed. He moved—" That the Mayor be requested to call a public meeting at which the speakers ehduld express the feelings of the people of Otago in regard to the matter, the meeting to be held at an early date." - Mr R. S. Black seconded the motion. " If you go back 70 years," he said, " there was a, better service then than there is now, and the people who boast that Dunedin is no mean city are not going to put up with the treatment the Union Company is giving them." Dunedin would be lacking' in moral courage if it did not back up the Invercargill people, who had asked for a cheap, early, and satisfactory service, and if .they did not get such a service they should try to get one elsewhere. Since the Union Company had •old its birthright to the P. and 0. Company New',Zealand, especially the South Island, had been off the map, but, the people of New Zealand from Wellington southward were behind the meeting in its", legitimate and well-founded. desire. One would be surprised at the'-volume of facts and figures that could be produced to prove that the Union Company, if not deliberately, then ignorantly, neglected the South Island and the possibilities of the South Island.—("Hear, hear") "There are other companies," Mr Black added, " who would be only too pleased to come in, and if they do come in we ought to support them." Mr H. C. Campbell supported what the . previous speakers had said. The Maheno was quite unsuitable. She had only done one successful run. and that was when she was a hospital ship. She was now practically stripped, and. to recondition ner would cost a large sum of money.,

Mr R. Duncan said he was glad that other speakers had spoken so plainly. Tbpy must take the-gloves off with the Union Company, and in the first place pass a vote of thanks to it for nothing. "If they are going to do this sort of thing thev have put the last nail in the coffin of the Bluff-Melbourne service. There is . no use going cap in hand to the Union Company. We must tackle it in. some other way, because it is simply trying to 'fool ue." Ab a matter that they might urge with'reason he would suggest that, as there was sure to be trouble in Melbourne over accommodation, boats from New Zealand should remain there for seven days for the convenience of the visitors. If this could be arranged he believed that every trip from the South Island would sec a full ship.

Mr G. Simpson: Is there any talk of the Government paying a subsidy to the Union Company to run the boat?

Members: Yes. Mr Simpson said he thought they might first of all send representatives to the Union Company to ask if it could not do something better. By so doing they would not make an enemy, and they might gain their end by means of a quiet talk. — ("Hear, hear.") Mr A. Smiley said the community was behind the Chamber of Commerce and the other bodies working with it. It appeared to him the company wag out to kill any service from this end of the island to Australia. After a conversational discussion it was agreed to write to the Union Company pointing out the dissatisfaction that existed owing to the nnsuitability of the steamer it was proposed to place on the run. It was also decided to write to the Government protesting against a subsidy being paid for a service that was not suitable for the occasion;

It was further decided to request his Worship the Mayor to call a publip meeting of protest if satisfaction is not obtained from the Union Company. A committee, consisting of the Mayor of Dunedin (the Rev. E. T, Cos), Messrs Burgess, Campbell, Black, Paape, Duncan, and Marlow, was appointed to wait on Mr A. Hamilton in regard to the matter at the end of the week. It was agreed to associate the Mayors of Port Chalmers and West Harbour with the committee. A vote of thanks was accorded the chairman.