THE MAUI POMARE

Hokitika Guardian, 18 July 1929, Page 6

THE MAUI POMARE

LOSS FOR FIRST YEAR. tßy Telegraph—Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, July 17. Despite the difficulties of the nine months ended Gist. March last, and the crippling elfect of having lour New Zealand ports of call, the Maui Pomare made .fifteen trips from the Islands to New Zealand. She has handled nearly 6000 tons of cargo. The total expenditure on her for the year exceeded the revenue by £1972 12s Id. Her service can be regarded as a satisfactory performance for her inaugural year, states Sir A. T. Ngata, Aliuister for the Ccok Islands, in the course of the Cook Islands Department’s annual report, which was laid on the table in the House to-day. The report outlines the usefulness of the Hinemoa in the Island trade. In spite of her age, she having been over 50 years in the Government service, she has proved a useful and reliable vessel, and has more than justified the Department’s action in putting her again into commission for island purposes.

Reverting again to the service of the Maui Pomare, the report states that it should be noted that, prior to the Government taking over the Niue Island:Hondo© in 1925, an amount was expended on that service—only for relief ships and subsidies—of £3866 lor a year. Her initial year is naturally a heavy, expenditure one, and in addition, owing'to the Alan activities in Samoa, tlie ship’s revenues were considerably’..handicapped on account of the fact that the anticipated banana cargoes werq hot forthcoming, and the ship, during part of the year, ran on very small cargoes. On one occasion. also, hurricane conditions .in the Islands resulted in half of the cargo having to be left behind, with a consequent loss of revenue. It is also a consideration that the freights to all New Zealand ports are on a flat rate, which places the vessel at a disadvantge as against private shipping firms. Both as regards revenues and the greatly extended run to southern ports, so far south as Dunedin, the invisible profits of trade that have been made possible by the vessel are also worth, of consideration. Under the adverse conditions experienced throughout the year, therefore, the service has shown a surprisingly good trading result.