Discomforts of a Second Saloon.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7287, 15 August 1893, Page 2

Discomforts of a Second Saloon.

A gentleman who recently went Home by one of the direct steamers, in a letter to a friend hero says :—•* There were several circumstances and arrangements which diminished the comfort of the voyage, and some of them might be remedied by the company with very little if any expense. There was not a single seat on the second class deck. Most of the passengers had deck chairs, but for a fortnight it was too rougjfor them to bs safely used ; besides, the company does not intimate that it provides no seats, so that some do not take chairs. 1 here were a good many young children in the second saloon,—22 under 10 years old—and except that they had their meals an hour before us there were no rules or regulations made about them, with the result that they proved a perpelua nuisance to the adult passengers. The water in our baths was hot all through the tropics, during the most convenient bathing time, 5.30 to 7.30 a.m., and when we complained some unintelligible excuse was made that they were “ condensing,” as if they could not “ condense” at any other time during tbs 24 hours. An intolerably noisy cinder shoot passes up from the furnaces right through the second-class quarters, and the infernal noise it made every two or three hours day and night, must be heard to be believed. Neither I nor anyone else I talked with have met such a clumsy and abominable arrangement on other steamers. Lastly, some better regulation of the sale of drink is urgently needed ; some men in the second saloon were beastly soakers, and on more than one occasion were violen t and blasphemous, though more generally helpless and maudlin. It is abominable that no limit should be imposed upon the serving of drink. One man had an average of 20 bottles of beer a day, the whole voyage through ! Another pawned his watch, chain, scarf pins, etc., to the chief steward for drink. The Company think this is all profit, but it ia a great mistake. I would not travel by their line again, even if the fares were £lO less than they are, and I know several of my fellow passengers feel just the same. It would be to the interests of tho Company if you published some of my suggestions.”