OUR MOSQUITO FLEET.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1054, 18 February 1911, Page 10

OUR MOSQUITO FLEET.

ITS INTERESTING HISTORI; . I . Singular interest attaches to a paper that is to be read before tho conference of the New Zealand Ironmoulders,' to be held at Dunedin on February 27. The paper has been'prepared, by, Mr.; H. F. Allen, who. is secretary, both of- the New Zealand. Ironmasters' .Association, ; and - ,of ; its 'Wellington branch! : ;Mo-..paper.-presents a "record, of all iron., ships that have been;,built in the Dominion siijcVi the inception of .the ironfoiuiding industry. Mr. Allen has gleaned' particulars of. these vessels from,-the Mercantile, Navy list andj.; .jDjreqtoy for .1910, a publication? dssiied- m-.London. under the auyiflritsoOfrilfejßoiffi&apf - Trade; It contains, a complete;record of ; ships constructed up. to -the end of 1909.. The' first iron' ship, appears -to -have bden built in^.New.Zealand in the year 1864.' " The .'name .of 'this Vessel was;th<S Moa..- Built;'iii. Lyttelton . in'. the ;year named, she had a gross, register of 188 tons? Since the Moa, was'built, and up to the end of 1909, a total number of '85 iron , ship's .have'been; constructed in New Zealand;; thei'r burthen ranging ; from 12 tons -up. to ;219 tons. ; Referring to. individual ships, Mr.; Allen remarks, that' the Ben Lomdndinow List as .the;,property 'of.'-his' Majesty the King) lias >.performed, a lot of useful work on Lake Wakatipu. She, was built by Mr. R. S. Sparrow, of Dunedin, in 1872. i While, the ship. was ;• under construction, Mr. W. Gable was engaged by her builder as leading hand, and he was employed to run > the ship for /the first three: months of ber , commission.

One firm alone, in Dunedin, Mr. Allen remarks, lias the building of no fewer than four steamers in ■hand. . One of 'them is being built to the order of the New Zealand: Government, ■ and isj to ho run on . Lake cope with the constantly-increasing tourist traffic. She is to have space for the. carriage . of ' 1000 The Mountaineer, which is . also running on Lake Wakatipu, was,built there in 1879. Both ithese steamers have proved themselves good boats, but larger and faster ones are now necessary. . - The following iron steamers were also built in New Zealand, hut are not recorded in the Mercantile Navy List.' which was built in Dun-odih,--Mr.-; Allen ."believes, in the year 1374/: for./a. Wanganui'firm, and an-othor,-the. Tui, built in 1876 or 1877 for the - late 'Mr,: Seagar. The latter boat -was wricked •at the Wellington Heads' some- years ago..■'■ - ' ' ; . - : "When the Government is considering the mattor of Customs tariff-; revision,'. Mr. Allen concludes, it-is to bo hoped that it will recognise the claims' of-tho ironmasters in New Zealand, and their ability to build iron ships,; and it is also to be hoped that they will consider that contracts for their construction should in all fairness be let in- this Dominion." ■ V • : • .Following -is a list', extracted from the Mercantile List, of iron ships constructed in New Zealand up to the end of 1909:- . ." . riear Tons Ahuriri' (Wellington) , 1887 , 85 Aotea. (Wanganui) ' .1900 ' 92 •Pen-Lomond (Duncdin) ... 1872 : 46 Devonport (Auckland) ....: 1870 38 Fairv (Duncdin)- 1874 45 Freetrader (Auckland) ..... 1890 133 Huia (Auckland) 1878 127 J.D;O. v -.(Napier) 1393 129 Jane Douglas (Dunedin)..... 1875 95 Katikati (Auckland) 1878 1 36 Koi (Nelson) 1906 .124 ICotuku (Auckland) 1879 85 Mana (Wellington) .......... 18S6 '134 Manawatu (Auckland) .../. 1873 183 Moa-(L'yttelton) 1864 188 Mountaineer (Lake Waka- _•• : tipu) 1879 109 Nile. (Westport) 1887 43 Novelty (Auckland) ......... 1909 200 Opawa (Wellington) ....... 1897 110 Oreti (Dunedin) 1877 215 -Osprey (Nortfy Shore) ..... 1887 219 Pniaka .(Wellington) 1881 14 Pclorus (Nelson) 1878 25 Piako (Thames) 1877 12 Pioneer (Dunedin) 1892 34 Port Jackson (Duncdin) ... 1883. 108 Progress (Port .Chalmers) 1882 112 Rotomahana (Mechanics' Bay) ....... 1876 .183 Tainui (Auckland) '.. 1875 80 Takapunn (Auckland) 1872 76 Waikana (Duncdiu) ........ 1909 154 Waikato (Onehunga) 1873 86 Waimarie (Wauga(iui) 1900 80 Wakatu (Nelson) 1879 157 Weka (Wellington) 18S3 " 90