THE DIRECT STEAMERS

Otago Witness, Issue 2663, 29 March 1905, Page 61

THE DIRECT STEAMERS

The Mimiro, from London and Sydney, arrhpd at Auckland on Saturday. LONDON, March 24.— Arrived : Aotca and Matatua, fiom New Zealand.

The sale is rejported cf the steamer Wai-

kato, 4767 tons, owned by the New Zealand Shipping Company (Limited), of London. tho purchaser being Mr C. Andersen, of Hamburg, and the price £22.500. The Waikato is to be renamed the Augustus, and will be used for the carriage of general cargo only, her insulation being taken out. Tho new turbine steamer Maheno, which is being built at Denny's yard, Dumbarton, for the Union Company, will be brought out by Captain R. Neville, who some months ago succeeded to tho command of the Moeraki. Mr F. T. Evans late chief officer of the Hauroto, has gone Home to act in a similar capacity on the big steamer, and Mr R. Wallace, who has also gone Home, will be chief engineer. Mr A. Naismith is to a-ssist in the fitting out of the providoring department, and will come out with the vessel as chief steward. Captain Lambert has been appointed to go Home ibring out the new West Coast steamer Arahura, and Mr T. Scott, late, chief engineer of the Kotuku, will leave here at the end of the month to return in charge of tha Arahura's engine-room.

The steamship Fife^hire completed the discharge of her Dunedin cargo — something under 100 tons — by 10 p.m. of Wednesday, and left the George street pier, Port Chalmers at 5 a.m. on Thursday for Newcastle, New Soiuth Wales, where she takes in a cargo of coal for Uie East. A company has been formed in the United States with a view to running 1 a new lino of steamers between New York and the Channel ports of France. This company has secured the contract from an American firm for the transport of £.0,000 tons per year ot agricultural machinery out of a total of 250,000 tons whics this firm is said to export annually. The first steamer of the new line started on December 20. Towards May and during the whole of the summer the company will have two, and possibly three, monthly sailings.

Some -idea of the dimensions of the hemp trade (says the New Zealand Times) may be gathered from the fact that Queen of the South, which is making two or three trips a week to Foxton, is now bringing to Wellington between thrpf>and four hundred bales each trip. The Himitangi al&o occasionally brings down hemp. The huge White Star Liner Athenio shipped a very large quantity of dairy produce at Lyttelton for London. No less than lGl3£cwt of butter was taken on board in 2027 boxes, made up as follows : — 154-4 boxes from Canterbury, 213 boxes from Southland, and 170 boxes from Otago. The big vessel also loaded 141| tons of cheese, representing 2431 cases. Of this 366 ca-^es, weighing 21| tons, came from Canterbury mak-ers while the remainder, consisting oi 2055 cases, of a total weight of 120 tons, was brought from Dunedin and the Bluff ny the steamer Moeraki.

The U.S.S. Company's new steamer now in course- of construction, at Pori Glasgow is to be named the Arahura. She will be 320 ft long, 44ft broad, and 28ft B£in deep. On deck there will be accommodation for 90 saloon and 40 .second saloon passengers. She is to have a speed of 12£ knots at sea on a draught of 12ft. The tefcal capacity on a draught of 2ift will be 3500 tons, including bunker coal. The German barque Anna, from Now York, via Lyttelton, arrived off the Heads on Sunday morning, and was towed up to an anchorage in the forenoon She brings 35,186 eases kerosene and 2000 cases benzine for this port The s.s. Tongariro had put out about 1700 tens of general cargo up to Monday evening. She took in a quantity of frozen mutton on Monday, and commenced loading wool on Tuesday.

The new cargo steamer Kaituna, purchased in England for the Union Company, will sail tor New Zealand early in April, and should reach this colony towards the end of May.

The Union Company's cargo steamer Whangape, spick and span from the graving dock, sailed from Port Chalmers on Monday for Wellington, where she will take a large consignment of sheep down to Lyttelton. A very large number of sheep have been transported lately from the North to the South Island, and the Union. Company has had some- difficulty in finding the necessary tonnage. The s.s. Invercargill arrived at Port Chalmers on' Monday morning, and was floated into the graving dock for survey and repairs. The Collector of Customs has decided that the circumstances attending the stranding oi the vessel in Bluff Harbour should be inquired into, and the matter has been referred to the Collector of Customs at Inver cargill.