No Supplies!
p. 39 · Read in the full issue
American Strike Causes Shortage in Tahiti
From Our Own Correspondent.
Papeete, July 2.
THE dislocation of shipping schedules caused by the general strike on the Pacific Coast of America and (it is stated) by wage disputes in New Zealand between the Union Steam Ship Company and their cooks and stewards, has brought about a temporary shortage of certain essential commodities in Papeete which may well become serious unless the situation is soon alleviated by the arrival of new sup plies.
Potatoes, onions, and certain brands of cigarettes are already unpurchasable. while stocks of such important food items as flour and rice are running very low indeed. Fortunately for the consuming public the price of bread in French Ocea nia is regulated by Government decree, but other articles have already risen very considerably in price. Gasolene, kero sene, and fuel oil are all running short, and are being rationed out by merchants to their regular customers only.
Supplies of these essentials are gene rally brought to Tahiti by the Union Company’s cargo stearpe,rs, or by casual vessels sailing out of San Francisco, but word has been received that the S.S.
Wairuna, the next vessel expected, sailed direct from Vancouver to Tahiti without calling at San Pedro, as she usually does.
The next vessel will therefore be the S.S Hauraki which will bring a cargo of oil, gasolene, etc., from Sari Pedro, provided the strike has been lifted before she sails from Vancouver. In any case, there seems little possibility of a new supply of these articles before the end of July at the earliest. By that time it is safe to predict that many of the local schooners will be forced to lie up for lack of fuel oil and the Papeete garages will be losing money for want of gasolene. Fortunately, the inter-island traffic is now assured to a great extent by the “Ville de Papeete,” a steamer for which there is an abundant supply of coal on hand.
Apart from the inconvenience in the matter of supplies the disorganisation of the regular mail service has already cost local business people a considerable sum in radio messages which would ordinarily be unnecessary.