MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 January 1925, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

LATEST CABLE NEWS

[Reuters Telegrams.] THE AORANGI. LONDON, January 1. The Aorangi bad a stormy trip on her maiden voyage from Glasgow to Southampton. She departs for Vancouver to-morrow via Panama. She carries five hundred passengers. In addition to nineteen thousand horsepower derived from l ; 'airfield-Siil':er engines, tile Aorangi is fitted with the most modem improvements like a simple davit which enables a man to launch a lifeboat single-handed. A farewell luncheon aboard was attended by Sir James Allen and representatives of Australian and New Zealand shipping and commercial interests. Mr Goldsworthy (Managing Director of the Union Company) presiding, said though tile Aorangi was the pioneer she was not an experiment. She has emerged from the most thorough trials successfully and had proved herself the most powerful and fastest ocean goer propelled by an internal com Ini stin engine. A GREAT STEAMER. LONDON. January 1. After a stormy passage from Glasgow. the Aorangi purring like a motor car berthed at Southampton with the ease of a ferry boat. Captain Crawford stated he sent her full speed astern for an hour at thirteen knots. It was the most severe test any liner could lie subjected to. Crawford stood in the hospital over the propellers. 'I here was so little vibration that a surgeon could have performed the most delicate operation. A similar test would have shaken the rivets out of any other ship. Crawford considered she is of a superior type of sea boat, to any of the twenty three Union Coy’s vessels lie had commanded.

IMPERIAL PURCHASE AND SUPPLY. LONDON, January 1. Proposals to establish a system of Imperial purchase and supply were submitted, to the Royal Commission on food prices this morning by Sir Cliio/.za Money who urged that Hie home production of food should bo stimulated by organising tbc best use of British soil and Imying the resulting produce in bulk. r l be maximum production, being obtained at Home, the Imperial Government should buy in bulk and export the surplus to tbc Dominions and other British possessions. The administration of the scheme should he entrusted to a new State Department, namely, a Supply Department and the Minister of Supply, in concert with the overseas Goveriimcns, could arrange a suitable extension of the crop areas. He would also deal with supplies and prices of raw material as well as food. ,r Chiox/.a Money declared the days of dirt cheap wheat, cotton and wool had gone forever in view of industrial development all over the world. He added that the scheme was tantamount to the nationalisation of puichaso and elimination of middlemen. Sir A. Geddis. chairman, disagreed with the efficacy of Sir C. Money s proposals and he was of the opinion that international complications would inevitably arise out of such a, sehehnb and strike at the root of the existence of relations between nations.