THE MAUI POMARE

Otago Witness, Issue 4074, 12 April 1932, Page 7

THE MAUI POMARE

VESSEL’S REVISED ITINERARY

DUNEDIN NOT TO BE REINSTATED

WELLINGTON. April G

According to a statement made by the Prime Minister (Mr G. W. Forbes) in the House to-day there is no intention of the reinstatement of Dunedin as a port of call in the motor vessel Maui Pomare’s itinerary.

Mr A. S. Richards (Roskill), in an urgent question, asked whether the Prime Minister would agree to the vessel continuing to call at Auckland in view of the urgent need to foster every possible degree of trade within and without New Zealand. Mr Richards added that a verysubstantial trade had been built up with locally-made goods, and the cutting out of the Auckland call would throw hundreds out of employment. “ The decision to omit both Auckland and Dunedin from the itinerary- is in accordance with a recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee which in 1929 inquired fully into the question of the vessel and her itinerary,” replied Mr Forbes. “’ The decision has been made after full consideration by the Govern ment of all the circumstances, and it is not possible to reinstate Auckland as a port of call if the service is to be continued on a satisfactory basis. Almost the whole of the banana cargoes from the islands carried by- the Mau Pomare arc landed in Wellington and the JSouth Island, advantage being taken of the flat rate of freight to these ports to obviate heavy transhipment charges. The Auckland portion of the outward trade by the Maui Pomare supplied by private shippers other than Government cargoes during the past financial year has been less than 6 per cent, of the total cargoes carried by th? vessel. The trade with Samoa will still be continued by the Union Steam Ship Company’s vessels which run regularly from Auckland and by the Mani Pomare from Wellington. The trade with Niue will be continued by- the only sea connection with that island, namely, the Maui Pomare, via Wellington, and through freights from Auckland have been arranged.”