NEW ZEALAND PASSENGERS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14978, 21 May 1914, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND PASSENGERS.

TO LAND AT SOUTHAMPTON. A WELCOME DEPARTURE. (ritOU OUB OWN COHBESPOXDEXT.} LONDON, April 9. Arrangements have bee nmade. for the Home-coming passengers on the liners of tbo Is«w Zealand Ship-pins' Company and the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company to disembark at Southampton. The means lh»t Plymouth Lac been definitely abandoned as a port of call, both inwarde and outwards. TIW wonder is that thie step has not been taken before. At present passengers leave the ship either-at Plymouth ot at tho docks, and it te next to impossible to obtain any, real idea of tho time the train leaches London. The docks generally arc notorious for inconveniences as mast New Zealand ere know to their e'urrow.

Southampton » much better situated in this respect A tender will meet tbo liner off the Isle ot Wight, and takb. the passengers, -mails,, and baggage etraiffht to the quay. The baggage will. be unloaded w ; '.h the utmost despatch, and placed in tho Customhouse - under the initial .letter of the surname, co that passengers claim their goods and get them through the Customs practically without trouble. The train waiting in readiness will land all at Waterloo station. . , . ■ '

There ia no doubt that Southampton will be found infinitely more convenient for New Zealandere than either Plymouth or Tilbury. The earing in time for the passengers coming Home will be half a day, added to which-, the liner, on hex trip up Channel can be got ready for unloading the cargo in dock. .On the outward journey passengers will embark at the docks in London and the liner will proceed straight away on her voyage ■• down Channel without calling. at any other English port. This'will save a day on the pieeent arrangements. •• The first New Zealand Shipping Company c heat to comply with this departure will be the Rotorua when ehe leaves New Zealand on July 2nd. She will bo due here on August 13th. The first Shaw, Savill and Albion boat will be the lonic, due here on Ausruet 26th. . Sir "William Portal, Deputy Chairman Of the London and South Western Railway, eay.s that the Shaw, Savill and Albion. Company intend to run a number of frozen melt aLips from New Zealand to Southampton and that in this connexion the Tokomar* will be the first to arrive, probably in the couree of nest month. Such a service would, of couree, be quite independent of tho moil «rv ; ce from the Dominion, and would seem to point to some measure of competitnn between Southampton and London for the frozen meat trade.