Service

New Western Pacific

Dutch Line Extended To New Zealand

AN addition to the Central Pacific shipping services is announced.

For some years the Royal Packet Navi gation Co. has been running the steamer Van Rees on a schedule by which, after coming southwards from the Dutch East Indies, she visited Port Moresby and Samarai (Papua), Rabaul (New Guinea), Vila (New Hebrides), and Noumea (New Caledonia) and thence to Sydney.

It is now announced that the Van Rees will be joined by another ship—the new motor vessel Maetsuycker, 4000 tons— and the two ships will carry on this ser vice with an extension to New Zealand.

After leaving Noumea, instead of pro ceeding direct to Sydney, they will go to Auckland and Wellington and thence to Sydney. The new service will be known as the South Pacific Line.

The two vessels will commence this service when the Maetsuycker leaves Saigon shortly for the Dutch East Indies —proceeding then to Papua, New Guinea, New Hebrides, New Caledonia, and N.Z. ports, on the new schedule.

The two vessels will carry cargo and passengers on the round trip, but they will not enter the transport trade be tween New Zealand and Australia.

From March onwards the Van Rees and the Maetsuycker will carry on a regular monthly service, so arranged that they will connect at Sydney with the Nieuw Holland and the Nieuw Zee land to give a fortnightly service be tween Sydney and East Indies ports.