B.P. Ships.

Complaint About Pre-Embarkation Service.

Letter to the Editor.

PERMIT me space in your journal, to air a Series of grievances relative to the B.P, shipping services.

I advised my intention of travelling from Salamaua (New Guinea) to Sydney and return, well in advance of the scheduled sailing date of the “Neptuna”.

The first annoyance was that the ship de cided to sail from Salamaua four days earlier than advertised —a fact elici ted by me by chance, and of which I was not notifiid. This necessitated a most exasperating rush, to join the steam er, with resultant disorganisation of my working arrangements.

On application to B.P.’s Salamaua branch, I was informed that it would be necessary for me to occupy “steerage ac commodation”, which was endorsed on my first saloon ticket, for which full first saloon fare had been accepted. This accommodation I flatly refused to oc cupy, having viewed the steerage accom modation. which comprised four- and two-birth cabins in the after deck, sad ly lacking in facilities and cleanliness, and, presumably, in use by Asiatics.

I interviewed the ship’s purser, who, whilst commiserating with me in my distress, stated that the matter of inter fering with accommodation held in re serve for other ports, was outside his jurisdiction, without the authority of the Salamaua branch manager being obtain ed. I was put to the annoyance of in terviewing the branch manager and a B.P. inspector, who graciously consented to do their utmost to alleviate my dis tress and perturbation.

Eventually, prior to the hour of sailing, I was allotted a 2-berth cabin, which I oc cupied alone for some few days, despite the fact th#t three friends of mine were in the close confines of a two-berth cabin.

Later I was given a single berth cabin which I held to Sydney.

The service on shipboard was excellent and thoroughly merits the praise be stowed by all passengers, but the exas perations experienced prior to embark

ation tend to leave an ineradicable impres sion, which only time and the untiring solicitude of the ship’s personnel may cause to fade from one’s memory. This state of affairs must be rectified if B.P. hope to continue to attract the class of tourist this ship merits.

I trust the foregoing may bear fruit, and result in better shore administration, with an allotment of space to each port, thus enabling booking clerks to allot staterooms, and numbers of same, in stead of as at present leaving thjs re sponsibility to an overworked purser.

I am, etc.,

James Wright.

Wau, New Guinea.

EDITORIAL NOTE: The above article was shown to the shipping department of Messrs. Bums, Philp and Co. Ltd., Sydney. They explained that on the trip referred to, the “Neptuna’s” cabin accommodation had been allocated between the various ports, and that there were more passen gers wishing to travel to Sydney than there were berths available. B.P. had to get special permis sion from the authorities to carry the extra travellers—mostly school-children returning from their holidays and New Guinea residents on their way south to attend the Sesqui-Oentenary cele brations. The congestion was unavoidable, it was pointed out, because they wished to accommodate all the passengers offering, rather than compel them to await the next steamer.