LONG WAIT FOR TRAVEL ABROAD

Chronicle (Levin), 15 June 1946, Page 5

LONG WAIT FOR TRAVEL ABROAD

- Press Association

Bv Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, June 14. Altliougli there are many people in the Dominion who are anxious to travel abroad, Jack of shipping aecomiuodation will prevent anj* large-scale movemeitt of tourists overseas in tlie uear future, according to inquiries made. Shipping compaiiv rcpresentatives, liowever, diO'ered in estimating liow long it would be before large numbers of tourists could be aecoi unodatcd. One shipping agency representative said that tlie present passenger accommodation position was worse tliau it had been at any time before tlie war. Present indications were that it was getting worse and was not likely to irnprove for several years. Other shipping company rcpresentatives, liowever, were .more optiinislic and thought that once.the present waiting ilj&t'bif . tiiyiliaiiS. feqiliriiig transport had' been Satisfied, tlie position wouldj automatically right itself. One oili'-iab pointed out that there were 1800 people in Britain trying to obtain piiority passages to Ne\v Zealand. Altliougli the ligures appeared formidable, he said, in effect three passenger liners eapable of carrying up to 400 passeu gers could accommudate tliein all in one trip each. It had been estinmted that 800 people in New Zealand were urgently awaiting transport to Britain. Most of these people will get passages on the New Zealand Shipping Company 's liner Rangitihi when slie leaves for England at the eml oi' nexl monthr She will carry over 700 pas sengers. The Northumberland left Auckland today with 118 rnale passengers for Britain, and this also lielped in reducing the waifing list. Some shipping companies in New Zealand liave hundreds of would-be tourists on their waiting lists. The first essential, liowever, is that the passenger liners be returned to tlie shipping companies fi.r refltting and reconversion to peacetime standards. At present no jfennits are being issued to people who wisli to travel overseas for pleasure or pare sightseeing. It has been pointed out that the food and accomniodation position in Europe is so desperate that it would be impraeticable and impossible for thousands of tourists to flock there meroly to sec the siglits, most of which at present consist of bombed and ruined cities. Oonditions in Britain are similar, thougli the food position there is probably not so serious as on the Contiiient.