DENIED EIGHT TO REPLY.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19666, 9 July 1929, Page 15

DENIED EIGHT TO REPLY.

-UNFAIR TREATMENT." Hit H. M. CHRYSTALL COMPLAINS «<! <Jo not consider that I have had Hix treatment/' said Mr H. M. Chry•tall, at yesterday's meeting of tho Lyt(jjto'n Harbour Board, when he had been 4,b»rred from replying to statements mt de at s {.revions meeting of the Boar J. »»y the retiring chairman (Mr _g Galoraith ;. Mr Chrystai! said he had been grant,4*permission at lru>t Hoard meeting to Wf ,]y yesterday, but. this had not been so ted in the minutes. They were challenge! yesterday by him, but the chairmn (Mr II- Holland, M.P.) said there kid evidently I'l-cn a misunderstanding A mntum had been moved that Mr Oiryst.il! fliuuM he allowed to reply, Bu'/tlii.i li;nl ma been curried. Mr if. T. Armstrong, M.P., said Mr Clirvatatl Iki.l practically been given an ajsiiranen that, he would be allowed to tepiy- , ~„ Tho matter was then deferred till supplementary business came up. Then Mr Chrystall again raised the Motion, and the chairman ruled that tfce statement could be made only if Standing orders were suspended, but a potion in this direction would have to fce carried unanimously. Mr F. Horrcll opposed the motion.

Th«! Hialruuiu: I'm sorry, Mr Chryttatl, but I think that "that is all that M n i<>- don". Mr Chryst.all considered it unfair that It wm not allowed to reply. "It is Mtfaor significant that tho man who <i»nies me the right is the man who Mid* the personal attark," he said. Mr Galbraith: Excuse me, Mr Chryttill. I must ask you to withdraw that. I gave you permission. Mr Chrystall: L withdraw. Thank yoti, Mr OalbraiUi. Mr Chry stall their handed his statement to tho I'resj'.

MR CHRYSTALL'S STATEMENT. Tallowing are extracts from Mr Cory* •tail's statement: — First and foremost, I desir« to say that I strongly resent the action of Mr Galbraith in going out of his way to impute false motives and deliberate halftruths to me, both as a citizen and as a member of the Tort and City League; J will forgive him, but your late chairman will henceforth please understand that T am not hero to be schoolmastered by him in the technique of harbours •r transportation, which I have learnt in the course or" my profession and also as a result of intensive study during my •leven years" absence abroad. f should now like to make a few •ommeata on the subject matter of the late chairman's criticisms, but, before doing so, I should like to say that, in tie course of his remarks he mentions that well known proverb, *lt is an ill bird that fouls its own nest.' Gentlemon, may I venture to point out that It is Mr Galbraith himself who has biwsn nitting on the nest for the past two years. I have merely perched on the edge of the nest and brought him newt from the outside world of development and progress. The following are some of my statements to which he takes exception:— (L> *#3jlMtfc • a trans f-oMer "travelled--445 mi leu via Dunedin, instead of 37 via Lyttelton to Malvern, due to shortage of trucks." My answer is that it did thus travel, and that the Engineer of the Power Board him•elf reported precisely as I stated. (2.) That "I had it on good authority that the Kangitiki would not come back to Lyttelton because the vessel projected over the end of the wharf, and the cargo in one of the hatches tonld not be handled." My answer is that Mr Galbraith fcas extracted remarks from their full nontext, which, if published, would meet with general agreement. Again, that my authority still stands good, and that this ship will not come back to Lyttelton for some time. And yet again, that Mr Galbraith states himself: "On her first visit, cranes eould not be used at Nob. 4 and 5 oatehes, as the atyle of the ship •howed that special fenders would be required. . . . Nos. 2 and 3 hatches were so congested by the vessel's •wn gear and other obstructions that a crane could not there be worked. . ." <3) That No. 6 jetty is narrow

and congested." My answer is that he, in simple fashion, maintains that because there has been no comment on this .ietty, therefore, it is up to date. If the truth be known, Gentlemen, it is indubitably narrow and congested in the light of modern harbour practice elsewhere, and if the members of the Board were to meet more frequently in Lyttelton and witness the actual operations in the port, there would be more than ample verification of my statement. A few pieces •f timber, four "cranes, a tangle of railway lines, and a few capstans *o not make a wharf in the exact •arbour sense. (4) That there is not room in tn© inner basin to swing, a cat, much less a modern liner." My answer is that this phrase is not mine, it is an oft-used mariners phrase. Ton no doubt aro aware, Gentlemen, that in Wellington, for Instance, a big ship frequently twrtas in from fifteen to twenty minutes, or, at the very outside, half-Mi-hour, without danger or incon lenience, whereas in Lyttelton the delicate operation takes frequently over an hour. There is no doubt that many mariners will confirm this statement. The reason is, of course, obvious. The distance between the ends of either No. 2 or No. 6 jetty and the breakwater is barely » safe 850 feet, whilst the combination of tug tow-rope, and ship requires some" 850 feet also to conveniently and safelv manoeuvre. Is it My wonder, therefore. Gentlemen, that whatever bird is turning on the >s*9t, his beak scratches the breakwater whilst his tail flicks the jetty! Tl« fact that there have been no •Mious accidents is a magnificent testimony to the skill of the harbourmaster.