. THE CYERSEA TRADE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2860, 6 January 1909, Page 4

. THE CYERSEA TRADE.

* A BUSY TIME. WELLINGTON, December 31.- - This time last year large ocean liners were lying idle in these waters, waiting I for the .exporters to ship their freight , to the markets in the Old Country. The rise in the price of wool has tempted shippers to come forward with their cargo earlier than usual, and consequently the various shipping companies are busily engaged in loading and despatching their carriers as speedily as possible to cope with the rush, the result being that departures are frequent. Yesterday the , Devon sailed for West of England ports, ' * this morning the Glendhu set out for . ' London, and this afternoon the Waiwera left for the same destination. The next - I steamer to depart will be the Tyeer liner s I Star of England, which is due from J I Napier to-morrow. After coaling it is j hoped to despatch her by Saturday afternoon on her homeward tramp. She will r be followed by the Shaw-Savill and i\ Albion Company's Aotea/ which arrived ' < from Napier this morning. The Aotea ; is expected to commence her journey on Monday. The Opawa, of the New Zea- / . land Snipping Company's fleet, will arrive here on Wednesday from Napier, and will sail about- January 12. "The Tyser Company's steamer Star of New Zealand, at present loading in port, will • leave for Wanganui, Gisborne, and J Napier in that order on Sunday morning ,", j for further loading. She will return to Wellington about January 14 for coal supplies, and the next day she will clear the port for oversea. The Shaw-Savill } and Albion Company's R.M.S. Arawa, which has been in dock at Auckland,, ■'" leaves there to-day for Port Chalmers d" for loading purposes. She ie coming to " Wellington from the south, arriving on f January 8, and four days later she will >J' proceed to London, subsequently picking A j up fcer ordinary time-table. j

Some time ago the Lyttelton Harbour Board passed a by-law prohibiting the vs* of starting whistles on steamers in LytteT* ton, the substitute admitted being the shipV beli9. At the last meeting of the Board Mi£ C. Cook said that the bells were runjr lik? fore-bells, And their noise should b& mod#; rated. The matter was referred to th» Harbour Improvement Committee. The horseshoe superstition iff very old. ' The ancienia believed, that iron, as a. &e^ hatf unknown powers, and would drive nail* into their walls to keep off pestilence. I* hais aJways been thought uncommonly hioky tp find a piece of the metal, and, as hortashoes were the form in which it was mostly ■* found, the superstitious regaTd came to b« transferred from the material to the sbap«.