SOLD TO JAPAN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22809, 19 February 1936, Page 5

SOLD TO JAPAN

KAWATIRI TO SAIL SHORTLY CARGO OF SCRAP IRON Towards the end of the present month the Kawatiri, which has been lying at Port Chalmers for the past five years, will join the already long list of formerly well-known coastal and intercolonial vessels which have sailed to Japan in recent years. Last night Mr G. Jackson, of the firm of Messrs F. E. Jackson and Co., Ltd., who act as the New Zealand agents for Japanese ship buyers, arrived in Dunedin by .train with a Japanese crew of 41 officers and men. The crew arrived in New Zealand by the Maunganui from Sydney on Monday and were immediately brought south. The Kawatiri, which is a vessel of over 3000 tons, will load scrap iron at Port Chalmers from February 26 to 29 and will then sail to load more scrap iron at Lyttelton and will call at Westport for bunkering purposes before clearing New Zealand' and sailing for Australia, where another vessel will be taken in tow. Captain Hirahara, who will be in command of the Kawatiri, has visited New Zealand on previous occasions and took both the s.s. Tofua and the s.s. Komata, which towed the Kaimanawa, to Japan. The officer who was in charge of the Kaimanawa will be in charge of the towed vessel on this occasion. Chief officer Yamata has also been in New Zealand previously and acted as first officer on the Kaitoke which recently proceeded to Japan. It is interesting to notice that during the past two years, Japanese ship buyers have taken over 20 ships from Australia and New Zealand, but their operations in other parts of the world bring the number up to 85.

Mr Jackson also stated to a Daily Times reporter last night that the buyers of the Maheno still hope to be able to salvage the vessel, -which- is at present stranded on the Australian coast, and a salvage crew is at present being sent out for this purpose.