INTERCOLONIAL STEAMERS

Otago Witness, Issue 3566, 18 July 1922, Page 25

INTERCOLONIAL STEAMERS

SOUTH ISLAND DISABILITIES. REPRESENTATIONS TO UNION CO. TTie Southland League lias prepared a statement as to the unsatisfactory steamer service between Australia and the South Island. Copies of this statement have been sent to chambers of commerce and local bodies and leagues, and the general gar of the Union Steam Snip Company has been made acquainted with its contents, the covering letter containing two requests by the Southland League: 1. That a larger- and better steamer be put on the Melbourne-Bluff service, and that sailings be arranged from Alelbourne ns well as to Melbourne (in fact a resumption of a similar sendee to the old horseshoe service, but via Wellington), and that Hobart should aRo be included in the service, as of old. 2. That the ferry steamer trading between Sydney and Wellington call alternately at Wellington and Bluff. If that is not possible, then an occasional direct passenger service be instituted to and from Bluff to Sydney to cope with the trade and traffic offering. COGENT REASONS ADVANCED. The statement is in very direct terms, reading thus: Melbourne-Hobart-Bluff. —This most suitable and convenient service for practically the whole of tho South Island, and in the case of Hobart, the whole of New Zealand, has been cut off for some time now. The only connection the South Island now has in this direction is by the Paloona direct to Melbourne from Bluff about every three weeks. This steamer’s departure up to the present has been most irregular; it is now better, but should be timed to leave Bluff on arrival of the mail train from Christchurch, which should have through carriages on it to go right alongside the steamer at Bluff, thus ensuring for the mails and passengers from almost the whole of the South Island the quickest and shortest, route to Melbourne, also .South and Western Australia, and Tasmania. Even under the present service and conditions people endeavouring to obtain a passage two or three weeks before the Paloona’s departure have been refused accommodation on account of its being full up, showing there is no lack of business offering. There being no service now from Melbourne to Bluff direct means that ail passengers and goods have to oorr.e to the South Island via Wellington, which in the case of Christchurch is 100 miles further, Dunedin 503 miles further, and Invercargill 808 miles further. Hie result for the South Island is disastrous. Tllo loss of time in travelling, and the extra charges and delay have reduced passenger traffic and trade to a minimum. Tourists and visitors who used to flock over by the shortest and cheapest route to the "great Southern Lakes and Sounds now, no doubt find it impossible to spare tihe time and money for the longer journey. This is a great loss to Canterbury, Otago, and .Southland. Bluff is 174 miles nearer to Sydney than Auckland is. Bluff is 441 miles nearer to Melbourne than Auckland is. Bluff is 132 miles nearer to Sydney than Wellington is. Bluff is 279 miles nearer to Alel-boui-no than Wellington is. Bluff is the nearest deep sea port in New Zealand to the Australian commonwealth, and should be the front door port, and not what the present services are trying to make it—a back door port. Melbourne-Bluff. —Beginning from 50 miles north of Lyttelton, the shortest route to and from Alelbourne is via Dunedin and Bluff. Thus Christchurch is 100 miles nearer Alelbourne by this route than via Wellington. Dunedin is 508 miles nearer Alelbourne via Bluff than via Wellington. Invercargill is 808 railed nearer Melbourne via Bluff than via Wellington. That there is no service from Melbourne to the South Island except via Wellington is, therefore, an absolutely unfair deal for practically the whole of the South Island. The waste of time, extra fares, ad extra freights that arc incurred are a great handicap. Sydney-Bluff.—Beginning from 30 miles south of Lyttelton, the shortest route to and from Sydney is via Bluff. Thus Ashburton. Timaru, Oamaru, Dunedin, and Invercargill are all nearer Sydney via this route tha i they are via Wellington. In the case of Dunedin it is 351 miles nearer via Bluff than via Wellington, and in the case of Invercargill it is 661 miles nearer via Bluff than via Wellington. In other words, you have to travel more than half as far again to get to and from Sydney to Invercargill under present conditions than would be necessary under a direct service to Bluff. Hobart-Bluff Service arid Vice Versa.— This old-established and fine service has been cut right out. The shortest service now from Hobart to New Zealand is via Alelbourne and Wellington, with the following startling comparison :

This means that from Hobart to Southland the distance has been almost, trebled. Hobart to Otago more than doubled. Hobart to Canterbury nearly doubled. Hobart to the rest of the dominion is increased by 490 miles, but, taking into consideration the llobait-Sydney-Auokland service, this distance is reduced by 40 miles. The service to Hobart is almost as bad, though not quite so_. The results speak for themselves. Traffic is practically dead, at least for the southern end of New Zealand. Fish. Oysters, Timber.—The cessation oF the Bluff-Melbourne weekly service has had a very prejudicial effect upon the Bluff fish and oyster trade with Alelbourne. The imports in Tasmanian timber, which have now to come from Hobart via Alelbourne and Wellington to Canterbury, Otago, and Southland, have suffered so much from increased cost and uncertainty of shipment that this trade is practically extinguished.

Old Present service. service. Miles. Miles. Hobart to Bluff 930 2,478 Hobart to Dunedin ... 1,080 2,328 Hobart to Lyttelton ... 1,284 2,124 Hobart to Wellington 1,459 1,949