Wreck unrecoverable

The steamer Konini, which went ashore near Bluff in the early hours of Monday morning, is in much the same position as she was on Tuesday. Although she is in one of the most exposed parts of the coast, the weather has remained fine, and she still sits bolt upright in the water, and but for the serried row of rocks and the bursting breakers, almost looks as if she were simply riding at anchor. But a close-up view and an actual inspection of the ship soon dispels the illusion. The Konini will never sail the seas again. She has been given up as a total loss, and it is only a matter of time, possibly even days, when a stiff blow comes from the westward, and then good-bye to the Konini! Captain W.J. King, wharf superintendent for the Union Steam Ship Co at Dunedin, inspected the wreck on Tuesday morning. He found that the position of the vessel was hopeless and the vessel and her contents are a dead loss. Konini is the Maori word for the native fuchsia.

Getting through the mail

Something in the nature of a record was established at the Dunedin General Post Office during the Christmas period as regards the number of mail bags received and despatched. The volume of business was so enormous that the staff was called upon to work long hours with only a brief spell for meals in order to cope with the continuous flow of inward and outward mails. When, a Daily Times reporter visited the mail room on Christmas Eve he had to pick his way over piles of mail bags and packets of all descriptions in his search for the officer in charge. A big staff was working at express speed sorting the contents of several hundred bulky bags of oversea and dominion mails.

"What do you think of this assortment?" said one of the officials, waving an arm to embrace all the huge collection which greeted the eye from every direction. "On Tuesday night," continued the official, "we had a most strenuous time when the expresses brought in over 200 bags of oversea mail, but that was a mere trifle compared with to-night" The official said that he had no recollection during his 35 years’ service of so many oversea mails arriving two days before Christmas. Praise is due to the mail room and parcels room officers and staff, to the postmen, and also the messengers, for the manner in which they carried out their work in receiving and despatching and delivering such heavy mails. The postmen and messengers had a strenuous time during the four days, as also did the mail room sorters. The combined staffs worked long hours, averaging from 10 to 12 hours daily for the four days previous to Christmas.

Christmas in Dunedin

Yesterday services were held in many of the local churches. Many people spent their Christmas at the various harbour resorts, and there is scarcely a cottage or crib on the Peninsula which is unoccupied at the present time. The Peninsula Ferry Co ran special services on Wednesday and yesterday, and the vessels were well patronised on both days, the number travelling being about the usual for this time of the year.

A wish for invincibility

The Prime Minister this morning sent the following cable to the manager of the All Blacks: "Warmest New Zealand Christmas good wishes to all the members of the team. May the new year see them triumphant with the record still unbroken." — ODT, 26.12.1924