A NEW DEPARTURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 128, 21 May 1908, Page 4

A NEW DEPARTURE.

One of tins most important events in tin; history of the Mow Zealand mercantile marine i ri tlie purchase of tin' lull-rigged Dartfurd, Kii7 lons, by the Union Steam Ship Company as ii train ing-ship for ollicers. Sir Janus .Mills, managing director of the company, describes her as a very lint' vessel lor the purpose. There bis been for some time ,i dearth of ollicers, and this state of affairs ha s practically forced the Company to take this step. Speaking to .1 Dominion reporter on Wednesday last, Captain Johnson, the Wellington harbourmaster, rsaid that a period of training on a sailing vessel would be of very great value to any ollieer on a steamer. In case of a breakdown, ahad happened in his own experience, and might happen on. any steamship, the fully-trained ollieer would be all the better able to bring his v<.<-el to port by sailing her. Even under ordinary circumstance, an ollieer would lind tin' training gained on a .sailing vessel of use in his daily work. Capiain <;. 11. Smith, Superintendent of .Mercantile Marine, strongly expressed the view that experience on a steamer would not make a man a sailor. In case of a breakdown on a steamer, when it was practically not a steamer any longer, there were many things which a fullycpialilied ollieer, sail and steam, could do, which another man would not think of. Captain Smith recalled the time sixteen years ago, when he was chief ollieer on the Union -Company's Kotokino, under Captain Spink-. The Kotokino's ..team gear broke down on a trip to Sydney, but as she was rigged with lore-yard, topsail-yard, and top-gallant yard, and her ollicers, who were practical seamen, rigged up extra sails, .she made To mile s a day, and came within sight ot .Sydney Heads tinder sail before they were picked up. Hie propose! , training-ship would be an excellent idea. One advantage would be that -New Zealand youths 'would be able to get an all-round training for a career as -hip'* ollicers. without taking long voyage,, all over the world. "This training would I sel'ul to a steam-nip ollieer in his daily work.'' continued Captain Smith, "as well nn in emergeneie-. You can I ell ill a vcrv short time. In Hie mv a man move, al I the ship, whether' Ir i- n .steamboat man only or a -lilingship man as well. Another thing is that the h ailiug ship man is more thrifty and more careful in regard to the ship's gear, the ration-, and all the pronerl v on lmard. lie lias been arcu-iouied to

-ail with everything cu! d»\ui t., tinlowest i|iuintitic>, and tn make i.' hiKt. Economy, therefore, become* a linliit with him. In many ways I think it would pay a big steamship company l" have a sailing-ship for training its officers.''