Tahiti Loses Its "Boat-Day"

ary.

Tahiti Loses Its

“Boat-Day”

From a Special Correspondent PAPEETE, Dec. 12.

WITH tears in their eyes, all Papeete watched the Makura, last of the Union S.S. Co.’s regular passenger boats to call at Tahiti pass through the lagoon and around Moorea into the swelling Pacific. With her, goes a happy phase of life as lived in Tahiti.

The old traditional and oft-described “Boat-day” will be no longer. True, regular sailings of cargo steamers are promised, but what thrill can there be in meeting these boats? —they carry only a dozen or so passengers. How can that be compared with the past and bygone days when the Makura or the Maunganui came into port from San Francisco, carrying 50 to 100 passengers for Tahiti, besides 200 or more through passengers?

On “Boat-day” Tahiti woke up. Great was the excitement in town. When the boat made its way to the pier, Tahiti’s whole population congregated along the waterfront —the Tahitians in their most colourful apparel, the foreigners in their most daring and exposing “sun suits.”

Old friends to welcome back, new friends to meet, strange faces in the streets, tourists to take around to see the sights of Papeete. No wonder the inhabitants were busy. When in the evening the boat pulled out, and the last paper streamer had been thrown from ship to shore, Tahiti was tired, but happy.

The whole procedure was repeated three days later, when the boat from Australia left for San Francisco.

Another great institution, “catching the mail,” now goes into the discard. Those of Tahiti’s inhabitants lucky enough to receive letters from America had two days in which to mail their answers. As usual, human nature, and perhaps Tahiti’s dolce far niente ways induced a postponement of such arduous duties till the last minute, so that the Papeete Post Office, just before mail-closing time, experienced a tremendous rush of business.

Many a letter has been posted in the bag for late mail, which hung at the gangway of the Union Go’s boats, a second before the sailing of an outward-bound boat.

Yes, Tahiti will miss its “Boat-day.” Life