CANAL SCHEME.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16398, 18 December 1918, Page 10

CA NAL SCHEME.

CITY COUNCIL'S SUPrOKT

SOLICITED. Support for the opening up of a harbour through tho Heatiicotc estuar? was asked from ilio City Council b> a deputation which •waited upon it last night from the Christchurch Canai League. Jir J. J- Graham bonded the deputation, and l'ully explained tne League's canal scheme. What the deputation jea'uy asked was the assistance •»! tnc Council in getting together a public meeting to further the canal project, and in making it ai hiy a success impossible. The Council was al.so asked to appoint a sub-committee to eoiilet with the League on the matter. }lr J< !»• btruthers strongly advocated tho canal scheme, and asked for the Council's .support, "moral and otherwise. The canal, he considered, was just what was necessary to make Christchurch a greater, a more pleasant, and a more beautiful city than it was to-dav. Christchurch had evorv opportunity awaiting.it with practically no engineering diificulties at all. .After the deputation had retired Cr, Howard moved that the Council approve the suggested inner harbour or canaf for Christchurch, and that representatives ho appointed to confer with ihe League as to the public meeting and its speakers. Cr. Loasby moved that a sub-com-mittee. consisting of C'rs.' FJesher, Hayward, and Howard, be set up to confer with the League, to assist in bringing about tlio desired public meeting, and to arrange for the Council to bn represented thereat. Cr. Hayward said that before committing itself to tho canal scheme, the Council must have more information, Hie matter was one of the most im]x>rtant that the Council had ever been called on to consider. It really amounted to a question of whether Canterbury should progress or become permanently stagnant. He thought That n motor road from Lyttelton was what was wantod. Better communication between Christchurch and its port was certainly absolutely essential, but to-put an end to Lyttelton harbour would mean tho "scrapping" of a million pounds or more. There was plenty of room for harbour extension in Lyttelton, and the solution of the whole matter lay in the extension of the wharves, tho building ol at least one other tunnel through tin hill, and'a. good motor road from pori to city. Such a" scheme could be carried out for about a million and a quarter sterling, and he thought that the srhenie, which would be more ccouo mical'and more practicable, would re oeivf* every support from the public In his opinion tho one solution of th« question of better communication witl tho port lay in tho "hole through th< hill." Cr. Taylor suggested that a sub committeo should be set up to go int( the whole project thoroughly. Some thing in the nature of u city commission, at which the general public couk give evidence, would perhaps be th< very best way of obtaining informa tion.

■'I Cr. Climio said tliat tho question 7 was so big that the Council could not <■} possibly express an opinion on it-right. f Miva'y. Both sides of tho question |j must! bo heard beforo tho Council i'rt could - commit itself one way or the 11 .other. As a matter of fact, if tho Council committed itself to the .canal at this stage, it would mean tlic brcak-ing-up of the Progress League. The 4- matter of communication between J Christc'hurch and Lvttelton was one of ja tho main planks of the Progress a Loaguo's pi.itform, atul I lie Council at .it present might do much worso than leave |i the matter to that Leagh'e. / i"| Cr. Flesher contended that tho_niat!l- ter was -purely a city one,- and,', had ft • nothing whatever to do■ with tho Pro;ij gress League. Tho C9iintrv people, of course, did not want the Lyttelton j. harbour to bo •'knocked on the. head," |j but. .thoro was a'largo number in I I Christchurch who favoured an , inner Hi harbour.? Tho speaker favoured the ( setting-up of a committee to confer with the Canal League and report back to tho Council.

Cr." Al&Kellar said that the secret of tho whole matter was to ""get your right to tho wharves. Then you will soon get tho rest.'' Cr. Sullivan said tho Council should get.the Progress League to go into the whole matter, lock, stock, and barrel. Cr. Howard expressed the opinion' that-it. was about time rtiafc the American method of appointing one man as a commissioner and saying to him, then, go along,.and db : .it," was adopted./ . Ho put' irt a., pled for the formationof an inner harbour on lines which lie had frequently indicatcdi in public before. ' He did want to see ;tbe matter put on to the' Progress League, ,• but he wanted to . see tho Council become a progress'.league 'itseif. : He also, wanted to; see tho Council -'express an opinion as to the canal that night. ' I

'Eventually! Gr.-.Loasby's,potion was carried without dissent, ■it being uridorsfcood- that the Council was in no way committing itself to the canal scheme. ; '.. '