AN EARLY TICKET

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXIV, Issue 3110, 30 January 1934, Page 7

AN EARLY TICKET

PASSAGE TO NEW ZEALAND. THE, BILL OF FARE. A ticket for an early passage to New Zealand is one of the treasured possessions of Mr J. Laughton, of "Wellington. The ticket ..has on it a , fair bit of printed matte r with regard to food, etc., and this Xn§ikes strange reading to-day. The ticket was for the ship Wennington, and it was issued on December 23, 1873. The ship's passengers had to embark at the South West India docks, London. The ticket states that "The following quantities, at least, of water and provisions (to be issued daily) will be supplied by the master of the ship as required by law, viz., to each statute adult three quarts of water daily, and an additional quart of water daily while the ship is within ibe tropics, exclusive of what is neces?ary for cooking the articles required by' the Passenger Act, to be issued in a cooked state, and a weekly allowance of provisions according to the following scale." The scale for steerage passengers was: lib. of preserved meats, 111 b. of salt beef, lib. of salt pork, 3Jib. of biscuits, 31b. of flour, lilb. of rice or oatmeal, i pint of ijjeas, lib. of raw sugar, Uoz. of tea, 2oz. of coffee, 6oz. of butter, lib. of West Indian molasses, *lb. of raisins, 6oz. of suet, i pint of pickles, loz. , of mustard and pepper, 2oz. of salt, 21b. of fresh potatoes'or Sib. of preserved potatoes, 21 quarts of water, 6oz. of lime juice (while in tropics). . Children between one and four years were to receive preserved meat, instead of salt meat every day; and in addition to the articles to which they were entitled by the above scale; they were to receive a half-pint of preserved milk daily, and every alternate day one egg or two tablespoonfuls of condensed egg, and Boz. of arrowroot or .sago weekly. Children under one year old were to receive three pints of water daily, and if above four months old, half a pint of preserved milk daily, and every alternate day 1 egg or two tablespoonfuls of condensed egg, also 3oz. of preserved soup, 12oz. of biscuit, 4oz. of oatmeal, 4oz. of sago or arrowrooto, Boz. flour, 4oz rice, and lOoz. sugar weekly. Nowadays passengers are provided on board ship with meals equal to those given in good class hotels. Mr Laughton states that- the passengers ion the Wennington brought extra food

with them when they embarked, as they maintained that the bill of fare was not enough to keep them satisfied.