THE COST OF THE HINEMOA.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5638, 25 April 1879, Page 3

THE COST OF THE HINEMOA.

The following return shows the total cost of the working and maintenance of the Government steamer Hinemoa from the Ist of December, 1877, to the 30th of June, 1878 : Wages of crew, £1760 19s. 7d.; coal, £1145 14s. 3d.; rations for officers, crew, and all passengers, £Bll 10s. lOd.; stores and sundries, £715 11s. 5d.; total, £4433 16s. Id. A return of persons other than his Excellency the Governor and staff, and Ministers, who have travelled in the Government steamer Hinemoa at the expense of the colony, from the Ist of December, 1877, to the 30th of June, 1878, compiled from information furnished by Captain Fairchild shows that 128 natives travelled free, 133 Europeans on Public Service, and 31 Armed Constabulary.

In connection with the above we extract the following from the report of the officer-in-charge of the Marine Department for the year ending June 30th last : —“ Both the Hinemoa and the Stella are now under the control of this department. Regulations as to discipline, &0., and for insuring economy with regard to stores, have been brought into force. They also provide that the officers and crew are to wear uniform. The Stella has been almost exclusively employed on services connected with the department, such as landing materials for the construction of new and stores for the maintenance of existing lighthouses, placing in position and overhauling buoys and beacons, and executing small surveys. Now that there are lighthouses from the northern extremity of the North Island to the southern extremity of the Middle Island she will be kept almost constantly at lighthouse-service work; but in connection with this the various buoys and beacons under the control of the department can be attended to and small surveys can be made.”