PRESENTATION FROM THE PEOPLE.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14659, 7 May 1913, Page 10

PRESENTATION FROM THE PEOPLE.

THE ARRIVAL AT LYTTELTON

TO BE MOORED AT No. 3 WHARF

GENERAL SATISFACTION

The official intimation received on 'Monday from Captain Ha key. stating that H.M.S. New Zealand will arrive at Lyttelton next Monday, at 9 a.m., and that if the weather is favourable, tlie battle-cruiser will come alongside, the wharf, has been received with keen delight in Lyttelton. The official announcement that the great ship is to bo berthed at Lyttelton was not unexpected, and private advices regarding the matter were received locally last week, while the, officers of the ship, on her arrival at "Wellington last month, expressed little doubt but that such would be the case.

The announcement was regarded in Lyttelton as a great advertisement for the port. It has been contended all along that there was sufficient depth of water in the cliannel and iv tho inner harbour to allow of a vessel ot the size and draught of H.M.S. New Zealand to berth at the wharf, but the Harbour Board has left no stono unturned to improve the approach to the inner harbour, and to ensure the safo passage and manoeuvring of the great ship. For some months past, the dredge Canterbury has been busily engaged in deepening the outer channel to a uniform depth, while the small grab-dredge To Wnaka lias confined her attention almost solely to the deepening of the berth which H.M.S. New Zealand is to occupy during her ten days' stay in Lytielton, and it is now confidently asserted that there is a good margin of safety for the vessel.

H.M.S. New Zealand is by far the largest and heaviest ship that has ever come south of the Lino to South. Africa, Australia or New Zealand. S»nc*» leaving Portsmouth on her great cruise, the battle-cruiser has been alongside two wharves only, at Cape Town and at Durban, and tilo advantages of having her at the wharves at those ports were clearly demonstrated. At Cape Town,- 53.908 people, including 24,000 school children, many of whom were brought long distances , by train, visited the New Zealand, while at Ihirban, 59,397 people boarded her. At Cape Town, special trains were run on to the wharf, discharging their crowds of echool children and others right at the ship's gangways, thus sarin g the dangers, delays, and difficulties of transhipping the. thousands of visitors by water. At Melbourne, Wellington, Napier and Gisborne, the, New Zealand was at anchor and the disadvantages were very apparent, and many people missod seeing the ship rather tnan face the crush and confusion of going off to her in small crowded steamers. TJd till the time of leaving Gisborne for Auckland the total number of visitors to- the New Zealand had nearly touched the mi.nrt.pr-milHon mark—it had been 242,187, but there is no doubt that it would have been very much greater had the ship been able to moor at all the ports visited. ' ,

The officers and men of H.M-S. New Zealand, intensely proud of their ship, aro very anxious that every man, woman and child, who desires to, should see tho vessel, and for this reason alone, they will bo very pleased to know that they are coming alongside the wharf at Lyttelton.

By those responsible for the arrangements for enabling school children and other visitors to see the New Zealand, the rtews has been received with great satisfaction, and a feeling of relief, as the" berthing of the warshis will obviate all the delays and worries of conveying visitors from shore to ship and back. It will now be possible to run excursion trains right on to the wharf alongside tho ship, thus saving many hours of valuable time. It will not be surprising, if the weather is fine, if tho number of visitors to the New Zealand at Lyttelton is double that of the previous record for any one port. H.M.S. New Zealand will arrive at' Lyttelton at 9 a.m. next Monday, at the "ton of high water," and assisted by the Harbour Board tug Canterbury will be moored at the west side of No. 3 jetty, which is about 600 feet in length. The length of tho New Zealand is 590 feet, so that she will probably extant somo distance out hpvond the end of rho berth, but this Is not expected toV-auso any inconvenierico to other vessels. The wharf is being barricaded off for its entire length by stout timber fencing extending along its centre, leaving the eastern berth and one-half of the wharf available for use. H.M.S. Pyramus, which is at present moored alongside tho Gladstone Pier,, will probably be moved during tho next few days to a berth on the oast side of No. 4 wharf, so that she will he in the same basin as the New Zealand- I