"Pomare" Goes To Dock

Dock

THE motor vessel “Maui Pomare” arrived in Auckland from Rarotonga on January 27 with a cargo of fruit, thus completing nearly 20 years’ running —with substantial intervals for repairs— in the Islands service of the New Zealand Government. The “old iron tub” was built for the Government in Dublin in 1926-7 at a cost of £55,000, and named after Sir Maui Pomare, who was the Dominion’s Islands Minister for several years. She now goes out of commission for several months, while responsible officials over haul her and try to decide what to to with her.

The NZ Prime Minister said, not long ago, that the “Maui Pomare” had been a “howling failure,” and he shuddered to think of the sum that had been spent on her. There was politics in the remark, of course, because the introduction of the ship was the idea of a previous non- Labour Government.

The idea was to encourage the develop ment of fruit-growing industries in the NZ Territories of Cook Islands and Samoa, and provide transport for ad ministrative officials. But the ship was so badly designed that she more or less cooked the fruit in her holds, made most of her passengers desperately seasick, and broke down whenever she felt like it.

However, she helped Samoa and the Cooks very much in the war years.

It is reported that the NZ Government now is seeking a ship for this service that will be twice the size of the “iron tub,” and will safely carry the Islands oranges, bananas and tomatoes to the always-hungry market in NZ.

V'-f The Postmaster-General of Fiji, Mr. W.

F. Hayward, left for New Zealand re cently by air on leave. During his ab sence Mr. R. G. Looker will act as Post master-General.