THE ARAWA

Southland Times, Issue 23152, 19 March 1937, Page 6

THE ARAWA

Luncheon Party

Held

VESSEL’S FIRST VISIT CELEBRATED

Nearly 70 prominent citizens of Invercargill and Bluff were the guests of the Shaw, Savill and Albion Co., Ltd., at a luncheon on board the R.M.S. Arawa yesterday to celebrate that vessel’s first visit to Bluff. After luncheon the guests inspected the Arawa, and their opinion was unanimous that she was an exceptionally well-appointed and comfortable addition to the company’s fleet engaged in the Home trade. The guests were received by Captain Roberts and Mr James Findlay, superintendent for New Zealand of the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company. Associated with Captain Roberts and Mr Findlay at the main table were Sir Robert Anderson, Sir Harry Lauder, Mr F. St. J. Loughnan (manager of the Invercargill branch of Dalgety and Co., Ltd.), Mr R. A. Douglas (manager of the Invercargill branch of the Bank of New South Wales), Mr W. A. Ott (chairman of the Bluff Harbour Board), Mr Frank Clark (New Zealand Wool Buyers’ Association), Mr Donald Macdonald, and Mr J. S. Marshall (manager of the Invercargill branch of the National Mortgage and Agency and Co. of New Zealand, Ltd.). After the toast of the King had been honoured, Sir Robert Anderson conveyed to Captain Roberts and Mr Findlay the thanks of all who were at the luncheon. He referred to his own association with Mr Findlay during the war years, and said that he had always found him an eminently faff and helpful man. Along with the banks and financial institutions, continued Sir Robert, the shipping companies came in for a great deal of criticism. Few people realized how much New Zealand owed to the shipping companies for the services they had provided for its producers. They had provided up-to-date ships and they were never behind in spending money to cater for the trade. Upon the development of the chilled beef industry, for instance, each of the shipping companies had provided the necessary new accommodation for this trade, though he did not think that the chilled .beef industry would mean much to New Zealand. Bluff’s Growing Trade The chairman of the Bluff Harbour Board (Mr W. A. Ott) said he wished to associate himself with Sir Robert Anderson in conveying thanks to their hosts. It meant pleasure to everyone in Southland, and particularly to the Harbour Board, to have a vessel of the dimensions and appointments of the Arawa at the port of Bluff. He had been glad to hear from one of the officers that Bluff was the only place in New Zealand at which the ship’s company had enjoyed fine weather. For the year ended last December, continued Mr Ott, the exports from Bluff had reached a total value of £3,116,000 and imports over £700,000. That meant a total trade of over £3,800,000 for the year.’ That was a big trade, and a trade sufficient to warrant vessels of the type of the Arawa calling. During the year 468 vessels had visited the port and of these 135 had been from overseas.

Mr Findlay thanked Sir Robert Anderson and Mr Ott for what they had said. In providing the Arawa, the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company found that it was offering the acme of comfort and convenience that could be offered on a tourist class steamer. Vessels like the Arawa brought comfortable travel within the means of everyone. Mr Findlay referred to the many representations that were made to the shipping companies for improved services, and said that improved services must go hand in hand with improved harbour facilities. “Fertile and Prosperous.” He added that he had spent three days in Southland during which he had visited Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri and the Eglinton Valley. He had been particularly impressed with the quiet scenic splendour of these resorts and had been no less impressed by the prosperity and the fertility of the farming lands of Southland. One of these days, said Mr Findlay, he would like to settle in Southland in order to test the old theory of his, a theory that money was much more difficult to make in shipping than in farming. Sir Harry Lauder made a brief and amusing speech in which he said that he knew New Zealand from Bluff to Russell, and thought that it was a magnificent country. He ended by singing the chorue of the song “Keep Right on to the End of the Road.”