CORRESPONDENCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14596, 4 May 1918, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

SttNDAr SAILINGS

(to tile Editor of tile Herald.)

yii 1 . — With reference to my letter m your issub of yesterday', re late sailings of .the 'Arah'uraj it seems to me that M 4 %. Preston endeavors to cloud the point by talking abodt coal niiiie's, curtaitmont of liassengeh; trains, 'alteration df time table's, and what may happen m the ■t uttirej btit there has been no altfii-atioji m the starting time of the. mail train from Napier (8.45 a. his) for years, to have affected the Connection ; and as to liis assertion that it 'costs. -the company well over £1000 a year elc : ira-'''kr6 > ispa't6h the Arahura; before mtdnigllt, I thii.ik.it will take a lot to induce aityohe"to;.believe that it would cost £20 more, to weigh the anchor at 11 -{i-iiii tliaii at 12.5 a.m., for that is what it works out, at, as the Sunday night sailing is only, once a week. Mr. Preston says that "ajl reasonable efforts are made to minimisedelay and inconvenience to passengers I * and I propose giving an illustration oi the > peculiar ."way m" wluch it is done.; Last Tuesday morning the Tuatea brought m roughly about two hundred" passengers from the Arahura, a number! of whom -wished to catch the 8 a.m. train. The bow line was on the wharf at a.m.. and sHghtly over 20 minutes M-ere^ occupied m turning the veßsel round, with .the result that by the time she was : ma^e fast andi passengers enabled to get . their luggage, the tf ain had left without, at all events, some of them, when by" running straight alongside, landing passengers, and 'turning the boat round afterwards, this inconvenience and unnecessary expense wOuld have been avoided, so that I think his assertions on behalf of his company are hot borne out by facts, and he does -not satisfactorily dispose of my first contentions as regards tbe late sailings of the Arahnru on Sundays. — I am, etc., , . . A SUFFERER.

On the above being' referred to Mr. Preston, he stated he regretted that he should bo practically given the li& ■' direct with regard to his statements, which ai'e correct and to which he stands. The public, he says, have no real or adequate conception of what has been achieved by the Company m order to provide the facilities at present, being obtained m Gisborne. The fact that the large intercolonial steamers called so f egularly m the past on their way to and from Auckland and Sydney has caused a, dis-. torted idea) as to- /the magnitude of the business. Information could be privately supplied to the correspondent, which to say 1 the least would be an eye-opener as to'the serious change m conditions. However the best possible under reasonable conditions is being done, .and 1 it is hoped that the pijey^iling^ situation. - : of atfairs will not canse any alteration m the acU vantages now* existing.,- As far as t^e Tusrtea is concerned, the matter of berthing is one for- those m charge and not for inexperienced, critics. There are cumstances regarding this which are only known to those responsible, and a-littfe knowledge ia dangerous- for criticism. The tendering •■ operations which have beert achieved .;in this^. readstead, with its disabilities, m. addition to the serious state of the river, §peak for themselves, and are sufficient answer to the groundless' assertions stated by correspondent. The control of the company's business is alone ve)&#l iii i ''those responsible, and- as m the pas£ the best possible under reasonable circumstances will be done. A fuHhei" disability m connection' with the running of ! the, Ariihura at present is the fact /that \slie is considerably overdue for docking. This has not been possible ,and ,will not be able to be accomplished for some time yet, owjng f to the Calliope dock, being occupied Dy a large vessel with 'serious rudder damage. The Arahura is getting- very foul, but docking is out of the question at present, and this, of course, also" militates a'gaiiißt satisfactory steaming and speed. " ,