“AN INADEQUATE SERVICE”

Southland Times, Issue 23377, 8 December 1937, Page 4

“AN INADEQUATE SERVICE”

Ships Between Bluff And Melbourne

PASSENGERS DIVERTED 1000 MILES

The existing passenger service between Bluff and Melbourne is quite inadequate, according to Mr D. Cuthbertson, of Invercargill, who has returned from an extended holiday abroad. Mr Cuthbertson offered some severe criticism of the service last night. He was a passenger from England by the Orama which arrived at Melbourne, and because there was no boat from Melbourne to Bluff within a few days he and a number of other passengers were forced to travel another 1000 miles to reach their homes.

The Orama arrived at Melbourne, said Mr Cuthbertson, and there were at least 12 passengers on the boat with destinations south of Christchurch, but all were forced to travel more than 1000 miles more to get to their homes because there was no boat from Melbourne to Bluff within a fortnight. “And had we waited for the Maunganui we would not have secured passages as it was already fully booked. I speak of this just to show you what an inadequate service the _ present Bluff-Melbourne service provides.” He put forward the suggestion that during the actual tourist season the boat should be run between Bluff and Melbourne only. That, he thought, would encourage more traffic. At present the traffic could not possibly reach what it would with a better and more regular service. If there were a good service from Melbourne to Bluff the South Island would reap the advantages of an infinitely better tourist traffic, said Mr Cuthbertson. He gave an instance of one passenger on the Orama who would soon visit the South Island. He would first arrive in New Zealand at Wellington and travel to Dunedin. He was Mr C. Wakeley, an eminent Harley street surgeon, who was to visit Dunedin to conduct examinations at Otago University. After the examinations he would have a week to spare, and had decided to spend it seeing the North Island. Had he been able to come to Bluff from Melbourne he would have been given the opportunity of seeing something of the southern part of New Zealand and may have considered spending his spare week in the South Island. Another passenger on the boat was a man who had visited New Zealand six times and had never seen the South Island. He was making his seventh visit, added Mr Cuthbertson, and it was probable that he would not see the South Island even this time.