SHIPPING NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2579, 19 August 1903, Page 60

SHIPPING NEWS.

THE DHtECT STEAMERS.

AUCKLAND, August 11.- Arrived: Star ■of New Zealand, from London, via Melbourne.

LYTTELTON, August 12.— Sailed: 7 p.m., Whakatane, for London, via- Monte Video and Teneriffe.

LONDON, August 12.— Arrived : Kumara, from Wellington; Indradevi, from Lytteltou. Sailed: Tomoana, for Auckland? Wakanui, for Port Chalmers. CAPETOWN, August 9.— Arrived: Turakina, from London (en route for Wellington).

HOBART, August 14.— Arrived: lonic, from London. She sails to-morrow for Wellington. She has 120 passengers for New Zealand.

Tn& following are the shipping statistics for the week ending August 16: — Arrivals: J. T. North, barque, 793 tons; Tautuku, scow, 26; Invercargill, s.s., 123; Corinna, s.s., 812; Moeraki, s.s., 2714; Essex, s.s., 7016; Tarawera, s.s.. 1269; Invercargill, s.s., 123; Rimu, s.s., 143; Windsor, s.s., 1853; Eose Casey, s.s., 99; Monowai, s.s., 2137; — total, 17,080 tons. Departures: Rimu, s.s., 143 tons; Upolu, s.s., 700; Mokoia, s.s., 2154; Invercargill, 9.?., 123; Zeslandia, s.s., 1736; P.akaia, s.s., 5688; Corinna, s.s., 812; Moeraki, s.s., 2714; Essex, s.s., 7016; Rimu, e.s., 143; Tarawera, s.s., 1269; Windsor, e.s., 1853;— total, 26,351 tons. Total arrivals and departures, 43,431 tons. The New Zealand Shipping Company's •teamship Raka-ia, Lieutenant Smith, R.N.R., commander, left Port Chalmers at 6 a.m. en the 12th with original cargo from London for Lyttelton. She also took the following Dunedin cargo for London :—3l: — 31 bales wool, 143 do sheepskins, 46 do rabbitekins, 21 do flax, 10 do glue pieces, 3 do leather, 110 casks tallow, 37 do pelts, 10 do casings, 1380 eacks oats, 662 cases preserved meats, 125 sacks gras3 seed, 3000 carcases frozen mutton, 12,991 crates frozen rabbits, 73 do hares, 945 cases beef, 517 boxes butter, 18 caee3 sundries.

According to a London shipping exchange th© Atlantic trade J3 getting worse and worse, and before sailing for America Mr Pierpont Morgan cancelled several sailings of the combined fleet for July. Five of tho Atlantic transport ships are to be laid up, and numerous economies will be effected. The three large steamers — Minneapolis, Minnehaha, and Minnetouka — which run from London to New York, are to be turned round in three daye at each end of their journeys. Freights are very low homeward, and there is little outward cargo to be had, and tho passenger traffic, which should be at its height at this season, is behind the standard of former years. The cheaptrippers have come over in .large numbers, as usual, but <he wealthy section of travellers, who hire suites of deck rooms, are conspicuous by their absence." The EJaikoura, the List addition to Messrs TurnbuM, Martin, and Co.'s Shire line of steamers, was launched from the yards of J. Brown hnd Co., of Clyde bank, cm Juno 27. The veseel has been built in accordance ■with the Board of Trade requirements for paasenger ebips, and to Lloyd's 100 Al classification. Her principal dimensions axe: Length, 460 ft; beam, 53ft; depth moulded, 31ft 3in ; and she has a total of about 7100 ■tons.; The vessel is intended for the owners' trade between London and the Antipodes, and the whole of tho forward holds aro insulated for the carriage of frozen mutton. Tho propelling machinery consists of two sets of triple expansion surface condensing engines, having cylinders 25.42 in and 69iu respectively in diameter, by 48in stroke. Steam is supplied by five eingle-endcd steam boilers, 15ft 6in in diameter by lift 6in long, having 15 furnaces, and working .at a pressure of 1501b per square inch under forced draught. The Essex took in a quantity of cargo at Port Chalmers yesterday, in the shape of frozen and preserved meats, rabbits, poultry, and other dairy produce.

Tho s.s. Windsor, from Sumatra, with 60,000 cases of kerosene, 16,000 of which are for Dunedin, arrived off tho Heads on Thursday night, and entered tho lower harfcour. She came up to the cross wharf later on, attended by the Koputai.

After taking in a quantity of frozen meat, poultry, and other produce, the New Zealand and South African Company's steamship Essex left Port Chalmers on Friday morning 1 for Natal and Cape Colony, via the Bluff and Sydney. A good-sized hair seal, some sft in length, ■was seen in the upper harbour opposite Burkes- on Saturday forenoon.

The Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company's s.s. Waiwera, from London, via St. Helena, arrived on Monday morning. The Waiwera (which comes into port drawing 23ft 3in aft) bring? no less than 6000 tons of cargo, of which 3300 tons are for Dunedin and the remainder for Timaru and LytCaltpn. Amongst the Dunedin cargo are 1200 kejrs of powder.

The abandonment of tho celebrated little island Tristan da Cunha is contemplated ty tho Imperial Government, who issued fiomc interesting correspondence on the subject in a. Blue Book, dated June 16. The island was \i:ited by H.M.S.* Thrush in January last, when it was found that tho popxilation consisted of 76 persons, who, though sunburned, arc- described as being praotically " white." There have been no marriages for three year?. The people generally are said to be very anxious about tho education of their children, and the difficulties attending tliM have made the^m anxious to leave the island. The Thrush, says the report, took 33 cases to ihe_colflny, all of which came from the. Cape: this does not include the mails and somo books, which came from England. She brought back 45 packages addressed to various people in Cape Colony, as the islanders paid i nlcss they could send pome of their thinps to their relations in tho colony they would get no clothing. Tho schooner trade which used to be regularly carried on with tho island has come to an end, but it is pointed out the placo might, in the future, have a value should a large carrying trade b:> established between Sowth America and the Cape, as an intermediate station for wireless telegraphy, but this and tho occasional assistance given to shipwrecked people seemed the only imaginable reason for keeping it. Admiral Moon, in his despatch to the Admiralty covering tho report, of the Thrush, says tha-t " the possibility of rojnoval having been presented to the islanders, I submit it is very desirable that a decision in the matter should bo arrived at and communicated to them at tlie fust opportunity possible, in order that thoy may remain no longer than is necessary in doubt »s to their future."