Steamship fleet expands
THE enterprise of the Union Steamship Company has taken a practical form in that it has purchased six new steamers, all of which are modern cargo vessels. The preliminary negotiations have been carried through and the final arrangements made for the taking over and renaming of six modern cargo steamers of serviceable type and dimensions. These six steamers represent a total tonnage of about 27,500. Recently the company also added to its Red Funnel fleet the cargo steamers Cosmos (to be
renamed Karaka) and Shahristan (to be renamed Kawatiri), aggregating about 6200 tons; so that altogether within a comparatively short period the company’s trading tonnage has been augmented to the extent of close on 35,000 tons. The Union fleet now numbers 79 vessels, aggregating 265,000 tons. The new purchases are: Cape Colony (to be renamed Kaitoke) built 1918, 3100 tons; Cape Natal (to be renamed Kaikorai) built 1918, 3096 tons; Stolberg (to be renamed Waiotapu) built 1913, 9700 tons; Cleopatra (to be renamed Waikouaiti) built 1914, 2200 tons; Irmgard, built 1914, 5900 tons; John Heidmann (to be renamed Kaimanawa) built 1909, 3450 tons.
subjects. The board declined to accede to the request, holding that the question was a controversial one. At yesterday’s meeting of the board another communication was received from the union asking that the children should be allowed during school hours to write essays on subjects contained in the temperance wall sheets. Mr J. Wallace (chairman), while expressing sympathy with the objects of the union, said the board had to consider all parents, and some of them did not think that drink was an evil. A suggestion was made by the senior inspector, Mr Fleming, that the subject of the essay be made: ‘‘Too much drink is an evil thing.” Ultimately the board decided on the motion of the Hon D.T. Fleming, that the board would have no objection to the request of the union being complied with, provided the subjects upon which the children were to be told to write were first submitted for approval to the chairman and Mr R.H. Todd.