WARSHIP’S CRUISE INTERRUPTED

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22505, 13 September 1938, Page 5

WARSHIP’S CRUISE INTERRUPTED

•MEASLES IN PACIFIC ISLANDS [THE PRESS Special Service.] AUCKLAND, September 12. For the third time in the last few months the prevalence of measles has interfered with plans for cruises by warships on the New Zealand station. The Imperial Escort Vessel Leith returned to Auckland to-day from her usual winter patrol of South Pacific islands, after having been unable to incude a visit to the Cook group in her itinerary. ’ Early last month the Leander’s cruise to the. islands under

New Zealand’s jurisdiction with the Governor-General, Viscount Galway, was suddenly postponed for the same reason, and in July the* winter cruise of the flagship Achilles was abandoned uncompleted because of several cases of measles among her complement. The Leith, which is commanded by Captain Tudway, was to have called at the Cook Islands from August 11 to 15 while on her way back toward Auckland. However, it was decided as a precautionary, measure to leave this call out of the itinerary, and instead the ship spent , the extra time at Papeete. It,had also been intended to make a short visit to Niuafoou, commonly known' as “Tin Can” Island, during the last portion of the cruise; but this call was also dropped from the itinerary. Several islands were visited, however, which had not been included in the ship’s orginal plans, these including Pukapuka, in the Gambier group, and Nanumaga, in the Ellice group.

For about a week the Leith acted as

transport for the Acting-Administrator of Samoa, Mr A. C. Turnbull, who made a short visit to several of the more outlying parts of the area under his jurisdiction. Calls were also made to a number of small islands which only rarely see ships larger than trading schooners. One of the most interesting of these islands, it was stated, was possibly Moorea, now under French control as part of French Oceania; but at one time of some note in English missionary history as the centre for an industrial experiment by the Rev. Samuel Marsden. New Zealand's pioneer Anglican missionary.