THE FERRY SERVICE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10924, 13 November 1913, Page 7

THE FERRY SERVICE.

MAPOURIKA ARRIVES. ■ PERSIFLAGE ON THE WHARF. Tho Mapourika, after a twenty-one hours' passage from, Wellington, was berthed at Ino. 2 wharf, Lyttelton, precisely as the clock struck five. She was manned by oliieers and free labourers, and carried eighty passengers. Some of the deck hand 3 were quite obviously not seamen', and they were.subjected to a good deal of chali by the crowd on the wharf. They were told to '"get back to the plough," and were asked whether they had brought their sheep dogs with them. The banter was ail more or less good-natured. Some of the Mapourika's amateur iircmen then made tlieir appearance 011 deck, . and these- were earnestly . adjured .to .'.'.be men," and to leave the ship.; Tliey grinned unconcernedly, and were called ecu-bs." The gangway of the vessel' was guarded by 'two policemen and one of trie slap's oliicars, but 110 attempt wa.s made by the strikers or their friends to board tho vessei. A passenger who desired to harangue the crowd from tho gangway wua gently but iiriniy transferred to the wharf. Ho commenced an oration'at tho'foot*of the gangway, but a sergeant of police cut short his' eloquence by insisting that he should get aboard the train. The would-be orator, who seemed to have 110 coherent notion of what ho wanted to talk about, gave up his attempt to mtorm the public of hid grievances, and vanished mt-p tho interior of a secondclass "sinoker."

OFFICERS AND AMATEURS. The Mapourika was commanded by Captain Cameron, and her crew included a number of masters and other higniy-certiiicated officers, as well as a number of free labourers picked up iu Wellington. The vessel was very smartly handled, and was turned round and tied up, safe and snug at the wharf within ten minutes of * entering the moles. It had been intended that the ship should depart for Wellington on arrival of toe 5.25 p.m. train from Christ-, church, but owing to her late arrival and the necessity for coaling, she was delayed until the arrival of the 7.40 p.m.. train, with which the ferry steamers usually connect. The Mapourika left Lyttelton for Wellington at 8.20 o'clock last night, with a number of passengers, who gave three cheers "for the crew as the steamer moved off from the wliarf. Ihore was no trouble with the strikers.