LEFT ON WHARF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26198, 8 July 1946, Page 4

LEFT ON WHARF

BUTTER FOR AMERICA SHIP’S ABRUPT DEPARTURE PASSENGERS HURRIEDLY ASSEMBLED (P.A.) AUCKLAND, July 7. An urgent message from the office of the War Shipping Administration at San Francisco on Saturday afternoon resulted in a hurried change of sailing time for the Matson liner Mariposa, and the ship left Auckland at noon to-day with only 6300 cases of the 16,000 cases of butter which she was to have carried. There has been no indication whether other arrangements will be made to ship the major portion of the cargo of butter which has oeen left behind. It was intended for consumption by the American forces in the Pacific. Suitable ships, with refrigerated cargo space, are scarce, and unless one is specially diverted to New Zealand in the near future it appears likely that the rest of the butter will remain here for many weeks.

The message which was sent through the office of the company's agents in Sydney stated that the Mariposa was urgently required lor another mission, and her departure must take place immediately. The lo'al agents for the Matson Line, Messrs Henderson and Macfarlane, explained that the ship could not sail on Saturday evening as requested because most<gof the passengers and many of the crew were ashore, but the sailing was set for noon to-day, and every effort was made to advise the people concerned of the change in schedule. Messages were broadcast over the main radio stations at half-hourly intervals on Saturday night, notices were thrown on the screens of all the picture theatres, and announcements were sent to those addresses where it was possible to make delivery in time. In other cases intending passengers were advised by telephone. In instances where the person concerned did not have the telephone installed, the staff of Messrs xlenderson and Macfarlane used the Post Office and telephone directories to locate the nearest available telephone, and rang the householder at that address requesting that the information should be passed or.. In every case everyone willingly co-operated, with the result that all 194 passengers due to join the Mariposa at Auckland were on board when the liner sailed.

It was impossible to tell, however, whether any of the passengers who were already on the Mariposa and who had left the ship to spend the weekend with friends in and near Auckland had been left behind, as the official sailing time when they went on shore was 5 p.m. on Tuesday. It is possible that one or two of them, visiting country districts, did not hear the broadcast warning, and have therefore been stranded. Three members of the crew reported to the Auckland agents stating that they had missed the ship, and the company is endeavouring to make arrangements for them to fly to Sydney to join the liner there.