[?]ack of Ships Causes

Tomato [?]risis in Cook Is.

IHTH the regular 1,200-ton supply V vessel Maui Pomare laid up at I Auckland, New Zealand’s De triment of Island Territories was ced with a first-class headache len the small stand-in, Viti, suf red a serious engine breakdown [ July, at the beginning of the toks’ tomato season.

This crop is valuable and in pasingly important to the lUthem Group islands, and the oblem of getting the ripening lit to the New Zealand market d to be overcome. [n addition to the regular Union earn Ship Co. trans-Pacific lighters, two Matson-Oceanic Line lighters were called to lift deck fgoes on their southbound runs, rhe problem was to find vessels dch would be passing Rarotonga [ suitable intervals as the fruit atinued to ripen, and every pos ile vessel was investigated. [he Matson vessels saved the

situation in August, though some fruit was lost at Atiu.

Early in September it was pos sible to arrange a call by a brand new coaster, the Maunganui, on her maiden voyage from Holland to New Zealand. The small ship had called at Papeete en route from Panama.

From there she was diverted and loaded a deck cargo of over 8,000 cases at a critical time.

In mid-September, after investi gating possible calls by Otaki, Lossiebank, and Waitomo without success, a shipment of 6,000 cases could not be cleared from Rarotonga before it ripened.

It was hoped that Viti would be despatched from Auckland early in September, but repairs took longer and it was not until September 24 that she finally sailed for Niue and Rarotonga.

Fortunately the Meadowbank saved the situation by loading a cargo on September 22. Viti was to follow her, then Matua early Nov ember, on a special trip, should see the season ended. t A small whirlwind damaged two houses in Kimiangatau village, Mauke, Cook Group, early in Sep tember.