ANGRY TRAVELLERS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1127, 15 May 1911, Page 4

ANGRY TRAVELLERS.

STRANDED Ui WELLINGTON,

CARGO V, PASSENGERS,

j Last livening a deputation of passenger! who I ravelled from Pic-ion to Wellington by tho U.S.S, Company's iteamtv Patent on Saturday night called at Tub DoMixm.v office to ventilate a grievance— « very real on.', 100. Thoy wok- a verr imligiunt body of men, and they did not IhciTvK 1 " ,Vnr ' ls r in si , vii,s «J"*»ion to Mr. W. .). Hopkins, of Christchurch (Aiienenie. Jl o h.-i<t seen an adver. !;: n ','"; '(' t be Ji| t ,,hrini paper intima - in.! I hat the i'Mltnia ~-a s ( 0 lcava p- t or AWllmglo,, ai 5 .30 p.m. on Saturfn" ills u ismps intern!-, H< .mand«l that fie should get to ChrUtchurch bv the Hat-' »«I«y nißht beat, and, taking i u t g :W- ?'' I 1 , "1 "!? I,al , ecni, woul ' l '«« as adKitwd or thereabouts, which would Hive nm ample tmo to catch tho Maranine o lur, plans accordingly. Hβ booked at Blonhoim throngl, to "Christchurchby llw Jlararoa, and paid Ihu monev moJ. Miry torn telegram to be sont'bv the ampany s agent to secure him n 'berth on the ilararoa. That this telegram wae «,lit all i-lghl. is proved by the fact; that .u» name appeared in tho list, of out ward-bonnd passengers published in Saturday nights evening paper. But the Patocna did not leave at the advertised time or anywhere near it. A train camo in laden with sacks of barlev, and the Pateena was delayed to ship these. Sho stayed unhl 8.15 p.m., and in consequence mi«secl the llararoa, which pass-cd her off beatoun, and 5Fr. Hopkins and 15 or 20 other pasfcngsrs who had relied on tho I'attena leaving about the advertised time have been forced to slay in, Wellington until Monday night's boat. When they found that the Patscna would not get away to lime they telegraphed to Wellington to ask that the llararoa should be 'delayed an hour, but. this request was not complied with. "We ar; business men," Mr. Hopkins added, "and this delay in Wellington is a serious thing to us. Besides the people Wanting to get lo Christchurch there were something liko 150 people on board the Pattella, and thev missed their trams and trains, and all were inconvenienced. And all this for a few pounds freight on cargo which could have been brought on by another steamer a day or so later. It is a nico state of things. I have important business to attend toimportant engagements to keep, and hero am I stranded in Wellington for two days because I believed the Union Company could be relied on to run its boat' to time. 1 have not done with the matter." Mr. J. T. Mowat, of Blenheim, took up the story. lie travelled at least once a week on this particular line—during the past twelve months ho had spent ,£BO in passages alone. This was uot tho , first time ho had been "tripped up" in this way, and it was not a matter to be treated lightly. On two previous* occasions that he could recall, the boat which had been advertised to leavo Picton at 2 p.m. had uot left until 10 p.m., and tho result was that he and others had had to cool their heels in I'iclon from tho time the morning train arrived there ■until the time the steamer started. Had they known the steamer would be delayed, they could havo left Blenheim by 'the afternoon train. On another occasion the boat was advertised to leavo at 1.30. At 4 o'clock he mentioned to the Shipping Company's manager that tho boat apparently would not get away hi time to catch the Lyttelton boat, to which the manager I jocularly, retorted that it would uot hurt him to spend a couple of days in Wellington. This was all for tho sake of one truck-load of cliali'. Mr. Mowat, referring to last Saturday night's experience, stated that ho rang up the manager at Blenheim about G. 45, and explained tho position to him, and he advised him to ask tho captain of tho Pateena to wire to Wcllihjttori, but the 'captain told him he could not wire. His instructions Wero to take all the cargo available. .There were women,and children amongst the passengers landed hero at midnight, and they had to ; walk to their homes—a nice state of things. Mr. Mowat wished to say that the captain and chief steward did all that.was possible to make the passengers comfortable, and those who wanted to stayed on tho boat for the night. But the fact remained that many people were Seriously inconvenienced, and merely for tho rake of a little cargo, . which could havo 'been brought on by another boat. ' .

Mr. F. Cross, of Cross and Sons, Christchurch, added his voice to tho protests of his fellow-passengers. .The inconvenience of missing the connection with tho Lyttelton boat was not a light thing, and the Union Company should consider its passengers on these Saturday night trips from Pitton. Business men could not nfford to be treated in this way, and it was quite time that they entered a very strong protest.

Many more things were said, 'but the above, together with the letter published below from another passenger, makes tho position sufficiently clear:—

[To tho Editor.! May 13, '1911. Sir,—Tho pen of a single individual is of little uto unless assisted by publicity, in coiiSEquencolam writing you in order that tho grievances of the public may be mudo known, uud in particular those whoso fate it was to have to travel by tho U.B.S. Co.'s Pateena, which boat was advertised to leave I'icton at 5.30 ou this date. In order to emphasise tho fuels which are to follow, I wish to state that a.n advertisement was in tho Blenheim local paper to eiVect that Ciu'iio must bo forwarded by early train, i.e., presumably a. goods train leaving some two hours previous to so-calkd passenger train leaving Blenheim at i ■p.m. The passengers naturally expected to get away from l'ictou at something near the advertised time of siiilius; (5.30). What actually happened was tile passenger train brought down some 1000 sacks of barley, and tho s.s. Pateena sailed tit 8.15. The results which came under my notice wan Uksc: The majority of some 150 passengers were put to the expense of wiring to thoir homes that they would not bis home til! liioniiug, wires were sent to Wellington requesting that tho Mararua should be detained, as there were a lot of patsongws desirous oT proceeding south by her, Mid one instance pay hurt bo given which tpeaks for itself. A poor woman, villi several children, hod only b:-r tliroiißh ticket to Lyttelton. This meant that she would be landed in Wellington at about 12 o'clock on Saturday night, and have to remain in Wellington until Monday night, with no money or friends. This case alone makes one feel that Iho lust for gain is a curse. and that tin , managnmeiit cither in Dunctlin or Blenheim is responsible for I much absolutely unnecessary hardship. I have noticed I'hnt the Union !?.S ; Company's PnlfiMia gets away from Wellington punctually. When nrariiiß the Welliiißton Harbour entrance tho news was flashed that thn Marnnia would lie dKiiineil, tho steward* aroused the Lyflolton passengers, as far as known, and these poor people got up and drcSEod just in time to sno the Moraroa pass us somewhere near Kealonn. Uμ flashing nvordhn Maroroa may have been a hoax, bill it. was a cruel hoax to mauv; if not a hoax (he loco] management of the Union S.S. Company might well ascertain who was responsible, and why the Mararoa was not detained. Faiicy some 150 nuMengrrs bciiw dumped on Wellingtnii Wharf nt midnight, to ?a\- uothini: obonl- the offlcci*,, jtHvards, oiid crew. ' My l>oll is not good enough to express, nor would you publish the remarks and opinions of nil concernwl. The question comos down to this: Nil? should (he Union Company pander re fine man and his cargo, and consideration whatever to about 200 pa~ seiißors and crew? I. could rivo sevwal other examples of how not to do u, but Iriirt 'that attention called by you will slop what is at present a blot 111 I ho lu-<) Funnel.-I am, do.. May 13, 1011.