LINER IN PORT.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 August 1920, Page 4

LINER IN PORT.

OTARAMA FROM NEWCASTLE. LOADING'PRODUCE HERE. The New Zealand Shipping Co.'s liner Otarama arrived off New Plymouth from Newcastle late on Saturday night, and berthed at the wharf yesterday morning. The Otarama is a line-look-ing vessel of 7759 tons, and was yesterday drawing 21 feet. Formerly known as the Ajana, a familiar troop ship, she was recently purchased by the New Zealand Shipping Company, which renamed her. She is of the shelter deck type and was built by Messrß. Russell and Co., Port in 1912. Captain Hughes is in command. It was hoped that the Otarama would bring a full cargo <of coal from Newcastle for New Zealand, but this could not be arranged, and the vessel was only able to procure 3000 tons of bunker coal, which will be sufficient to take her to Colon on the journey to England. She left Newcastle at 7 a.m. last Tuesday, and the voyage across the Tasman was without incident, though a stiff easterly wind was encountered all the way. The Otarama was a source of much interest to the large number of visitors to the port yesterday, and the presence of two other vessels at the wharf—the Ngakuta and the Glaucua—gave the harbor a busy aspect. The Otarama will load 471 boxes of butter, and about 31,000 freight carcases of meat, of which 20,000 are in store at the Moturoa freeing chambers owing to the pressure on the Smart Road works, i There will thus bo only 6000 carcases lifted from the latter stores. Other consignments by the vessel include 900 cases of tinned meat, 304 bales of wool and. 200 casks of tallow.

The Otarama will remain at New Plymouth' till the end of the week, when -she will load in the Waitara roadstead, after which she completes loading at Wellington.