THE Thames Advertiser TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 1874.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1829, 2 June 1874, Page 2

THE Thames Advertiser TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 1874.

Now is the time for considering the whole question, of harbour accommoda« tion. The port of Thames, the harbour to which supplies must come for about 12,000 people, witli all its passenger accommodation, has how- absolutely no place to which , a vessel can come. And this arises, not from the fact that the place is on an open coast, ? exposed to a heavy 'surf, like New Plymouth or Timaru, but because we \ have> in our front a large tidal mud- * flat, and because all the wharfs that have'been erected, \yith the exception of the Goods .Wharf, which, .was quite undisturbed by Saturday's storm, are of a raost'-flimsy character—so much » that the wonder is; that they stand from winter to winter. Thereis certainly,. no,difficulty; in-making .accommodation for shipping hei-ej beyond the question of' cost','arid''of "adopting si definite plan. The great extent of the mud-flat compels us ; to put out very long wharfs,: whichare too: weak to stand such,gales as that of Sunday. But with a plan' fot reclaiming the foreshore, good and safe accommodation could be furnishe'd !ak the" Thames for • any. nunnber of vessels. At'present, ,i although it ' would ,be , ranch,; mora / profitable for , many, .vessels, to trade direct .- .between, the Thames and the ports •of Victoria and New , South Wales than to go to Auckland, and havo : their : cargoes' transhipped, tliey prefer to go to Auckland because there is here no accommodation for landing their cargoes, aiid no place'where they can lie' 'and be quite : safe from'- occasional storms. •'//• j ' 'As to where the harbour 'should :be ; ; made, that is still an open 'question, and as we do not set ourselves up for engineering authorities, and as we have not the leaat trias; for one. part beyond,, . another, ; 1 and':v.;only,,•'wish to see. the community well served, we witi. not .dogmatically Jay „dowp, any opinion. On the point of how. a harbour can be constructed for the Thames, - the very j best . professional opinion f should be-taken' and followed. Three plans have, been spoken of. , v First, to form a*'tatiiourTirkru second, to make the .harbour .at Kopu; third, to divert; the Th'amVs mer, so as to bring the channel ('along the,, shore Svithin' a certain' distance, to- which --the land ahould be reclaimed; ,• If this' last plan were practicable, it would unquestionably be the'best, as it, wpuldgive bour accommodation;-: at :t!ie place where it is -most-, wanted—and 1 would be most seryic ! eable—namdy I , (jtali lamitown." ' : TheUate Mr Millett strongly, advocated this scheme, - and-we-rhave , - heard others whose; .opinions on the subject are worth a good deal, express themselves ; !iri favoutiof- it; as )th'e .best plan which could'be adopted. Kopu w6uld suit well- for aOiar .jwill to adojpt ltiw'ouidcbe way to Shortland and a bridge over;the JSauwaerangaP''-Then; ; - whatever '|the trading vessels might find it convenient ta the' passenger Steamers : would never go up to'Kopu, and for them accommodation, niust. be : found r , at Tararu .in tho ; : meantime, and?if the scheme . the-, channel of ;the , Thames river % found 1 impracticable, Tararu 'would probably ' have to' be made'the place. Kopu .would- have the advance that no others place ; ;would so "well suit for the river traffic, indeed,'-in any :ase"i : harbour'-of some kind must be uade " there, and a line to that point would be d suitable i begin that jonnection with the Waikato and the. nterior ofi' : 'Baw alieerout neairts. 11 -»ur^ Some.few d&ysi agOiitwas stated in . ;he Go ( unqil Superintendent yaa.. about . to., jend...down, itating ,^o,\y, t ;tp, s .d,eal with ihe foreswore of the Thames, also what lis intentions wero with respect to tho wharf at Tararu. The Provincial Government have apparently not had time to devote to <the subject, and it is now for the of the Thames to remind them of it. Judgiug from what the Superintendent said, he proposed to take charge'of all matters connected with the Thames harbour. We really do not care? Very much whether the work is done by the Provincial Government or Borough Oounsil, and'WQ.Bhould be inclined-to leave it to that body whioh seemed likely to jet about the work soonest. ' But let the- thing be setl about on a .distinct plan, to be steadily, woriced'up to.