Shipping Link

Tourism Really Gets Into Its Stride

Big New Shipping Link

Pacific tourism, already grown

to a remarkable degree in the last year or two, is to get an extra dose of vitamins following the announcement that the Pen

insular and Oriental Steam

Navigation Company and the

Orient Line are to join forces.

The new service will be named the Orient and Pacific Lines, and it’s expected to increase the num ber of passenger accommodations across the North and South Pacific, to and from the US West Coast, by 20,000 a year.

It means that for the first time two UK lines will be operating across the North Pacific, linking the US, Canada and Honolulu with Japan, Hongkong and the Philip pines. , In the South Pacific, P. and O. will integrate its service with exist ing Orient line routes between America, New Zealand and Aus tralia.

The joint service will bring the 30,000-ton Arcadia into the Pacific run, making her the biggest com mercial liner operating in the Paci fic. This will be in 1959.

The P. and O. Chusan will also come in, and towards the end of 1960 it is planned to add two big ships now being built in Britain — the 40,000-ton Oriana and a 45,000ton P. and O. ship not yet named.

The two new ships will each carry about 2,000 passengers at a speed of 27 knots.

Deputy chairman of P. & 0., Sir Donald Anderson, said in New York in February that the invest ment was being made “because of the growing importance of the Pacific area in world commerce and the increasing recognition everywhere of the Pacific world as one of the most fascinating and satisfying tourist experiences to be found on this globe”.

Something in the nature of a trial run for the new service will be undertaken on March 21, when the 28,000-ton Himalaya leaves Sydney for Vancouver—thus being

Big lines of Suva taxis, buses and people all add up to a big welcome for the US luxury liner "Lurline", on her recent visit to Fiji. Her last visit was 12 years ago, when she took Australian, NZ and Fiji war brides to America. —Fiji PRO

i first P. and O. Liner to enter Pacific service, he left London for Sydney (via Indian Ocean) on February 15, I expects to reach Vancouver April 6. The 40,000 mile journey . be the longest yet undertaken a P. and O. passenger ship, [eanwhile, there will be plenty other activity on the tourist “s in the next few months, the two already having created a >rd of some sort with tourist >s. Here are some details; part from the direct trade bene to Islands visited by the Ber sfjord in February, there were charitable benefits, saving Pitcairn, the tour organ s indicated that a collection mgst passengers might enable island to be supplied with a organ, which is much wanted.

Passed Around the Hat

t Rarotonga, private car owners made their vehicles available the transport of the tourists — e are no taxis there —each led to donate the £5-per-car fee he Crippled Children’s Society, a the way south to New Zea l a further collection was taken aoard and handed over to Mr.

Brown, a member of the Cook ads Legislative Council, who elled in the vessel to Auckland l Mrs. Brown. Under this col on $2OO will go to Tereora Col- Committee, $2OO to Rarotonga pital, and $7l to the Cook ads Crippled Children’s Society, ae of the latest contributions to schedule of 1958 Island cruises in announcement by Huddart :er, Ltd., that their 9,876-ton s-Tasman vessel Wanganella make a winter cruise this year, ans are for the vessel to clear lington, NZ, on June 12 for i, June 17-18, Apia June 20-21, ualofa June 23, arriving back at lington June 27. ires for the 15-day voyage will ;e from £NZ9O to £NZISO de ling on accommodation.

"Duntroon" for Suva ie Duntroon is also to make two ;es to Fiji in June and July, ag in Norfolk, Noumea and I Howe. iring last winter’s cruises of Duntroon many passengers ex sed the view that the two-day in Suva was too short. They I the Colony so much that they Led a longer stay and so for this the Duntroon will spend three days in Suva. om Apia, W. Samoa, it is re ed that the Swedish - American ’s cruise ship, Kungsholm, h visited there on February 9, not result in any startling ding spree, simply because it Sunday and everything was id. Nevertheless, the tourists managed to spend an estimated >0 on transport, curios and

entertainment, which isn’t bad on a Sunday.

By one of those unfortunate mischances that occur in the bestregulated shipping world, there was a record jam of passenger liners in Suva Harbour, Fiji, on February 25.

There was not nearly enough room at the docks for the ships, and passengers (most of them eager to spend as much time as possible in sightseeing) suffered irritation and inconvenience.

The captain of the Orient liner Orcades, which had the morning alongside the wharves, moved out to an anchorage at noon so that the Matson liner Monterey could get alongside during the afternoon.

The Matson representative, Cap tain M. C. Stone, declared publicly that the captain of the Orcades was a gentleman, and acted in the best traditions of the sea; but the Monterey passengers—mostly rich American tourists—howled a good deal. They said they had paid a lot of dollars for the chance to see these Islands—and now they were given only two or three hours in Fiji.

The cargo and passenger liner Lakemba remained at the southern berth—as she was entitled to do— and let the others scramble for the remainder of the room. The Direct Line Otaki and the CSR Co. Rona were also in port. (Over)

ro compensate the angry tourists, widence in the evening turned the biggest water-spout Suva had n in many years. It formed out e the reef, about 5 pm, grew and eloped, and put on a remarkable formance, at a distance of from ee to six miles from Suva, until jollapsed about 5.45 pm.

From Our Lae Correspondent IE Stars and Stripes on ship and aircraft are becoming a familiar sight around these parts ily; and the Yankee drawl can heard from visiting American ntists as well as tourists in clubs, 5 and airport. ; is only a few months ago that brigantine Yankee sailed into under spreading sail, with a g of interested youngsters on ir d. In mid-January, Dame nour had it that she was back, at Finschhafen. But the Dame wrong. The 109-ft schooner was our old friend, but a similar ly lady named Ramona. he Ramona is on a pleasure around the Pacific, but unlike crew of the Yankee —which jisted of hand-picked girls and > who worked their passage, vona’s crew are mostly older jle who have signed on as crew ibers for adventure and profit, upper-owner of the ship, Mr.

R. Insinger, of La Jolla, Gall la, bought Ramona in March, , but he and his wife have had trip in mind for the last 7 ■s. ae ship left San Diego on >ber 13, 1957, and visited Hono , Johnston Island, Marshall ads, Rabaul, Finschhafen and sxt stops will be Suva, American oa and on into French Polynesia.