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ACCESS TO SEA COMMISSION.

;»• ■ . 4 fe|E FOR TUNNEL rate <* M* ROAD. J c ■ / TO RAILWAY im t , MONOPOLY. • W ]fosisfß EVIDENCE AGAINST \ ESTUARY PORT. long tale of comagainst the Bailway Department ffi'ts control of the City's only means Stfaccess to the sea was continued at fourth day's sitting of the Direct to. the Sea Commission, comWjhig S/r Walter Stringer, Mr Drum*sjlTi[olderness, and wilUam Mor " laji'itiiiee again, some witnesses gave camera while others asked i Oi&suppression of their names, s and manufacturers ;ion of using the tunport even if tho cost re was frequent critiartm'ent's delay and ' goods. Three imirms were mentioned s'tablish factories in •fr^.thtf&croriaccess.: 1 the motoring trado ence of Mr F. W. J. lost of motor transmore than sixpence d both ways., Mr J. representative of the said that farmers ingled by transport costs, i-/within a 30-mile radius rould almost certainly duce by road to the port, of the ferry steamer in W. D. Cameron> spoke advantages of Lyttelton ler port, and scorned the 9 as unworkable. £r, B. C. Abernethy eone for the Port and City has so far presented all tnd Mr J. Longton crossBhalf of the Port Christ- j The Commissioners ad frequent questions of 'W%ssog' of tho Commission will and next week. Tuesobserved as a holiday, on ,*fHHfeihfi King's birthday, (ma Condemned, ■a good all-weather am Donaldson Camier, giving evidence . jr harbour would bo able /for Wg ships. r ahine into Lyttelton and had no difficulty is experience he had -eathers in the harmeron was shown a ed estuary port, arid «'" explained to him. ton for this? I i suggesting it," he lger: Ton wouldn't i: Not, by any means. . Lyttelton in all e" could get in only shed Away, le channel would be md by, ho continued, twod no tugs in Lyt-. iary they would need ty three. If the Waestuary channel at 17 Lyttelton—it would iks away. Ships of manageable at under larly in fairly shal- , night, get up the pro- ' liree or four knots if ' !. Captain Cameron '' f,,the effect of the ! inels. "It would be ] any ship to work ] ship under 200 1 st*' in a north -we-st 1 ' -fydw* we- would ■ got I faster .'we mierht be ' £&s«}» days For big i JinV is unworkable, i side and J ?d?tf9 ht H PP ssible * of two tugs', one at i Wfflild-meai a severe i money. •„' We would ( i fleams" vpossiblv at t ne - -wharves in Port ( at Lyttelton. * rind' at * the estuary \ and in this weather t heavy' sea on the t kind of weather, it i a'to handle, the ship t er. Shown a plan of t oveinents at Lyttel- f roj said that their t tell. In his opinion, c r was all right. He r, t to work in: there e i." The extension of h »0 feet would make u .cramped, but still t kngton, cargo was p

received at the ship's sido until 5 p.m., and sometimes, when the fruit came in, until 7 p.m. .-,. Questioned by Mr Longton on the estuary port, witness pointed out that ships were not set on, rails, but were affected by winds and tide. In face of evidence; produced he' re-affirmed that the estuary channel would bo unworkable for large ships.

Transport Costs Kept Down. Tie value of a- tunnel road to the province was urged, in general terms, by Francis -William Hobbs, merchant tailor, of Christchurch, late president of the Canterbury Employers' -Association, and a member of the executive of the.Chamber of Commerce. The transit cosis from Lytteiton to- Christchurch were in proportion to. the - whole costs from England so small that they were hardly worth'"consideration. He could not believe that, the tunnel road would increase, these costs, for competition in motor traffic would keep them down. Competition between the taxi firms of Christchurch-had reduced the fares by one-third. Even were the charges between Lytteiton and Christchurch increased 75 per cent., this would only moan a charged of 4s on a piano that might bo sold for £IOO or 30s for a motor-car worth £250. The railway servieo would certainly suffer a loss until the production of tho province expanded. He failed to,.see why the Department should be allowed to make a jigproflt on this line to support other aon-paying lines. To an expanding jrovinoe, the tunnel road was not only in economic necessity but ono, that it jould well afford to pay for. As eximples of the value of the City ajid mburbs, Mr Hobbs quoted the expandng suburban population and the rise of ■ents in the City aro»,. He was unable o understand the mentality of thoso vhp claimed that theOityhad, not jrown enough to. justify the road, jhristchurch had grown, to bo a big tnd important City and it should be tc longer dominated by a small town's Bind. But apart irom these consideritions, the enormous growth- and use if motor transport would justify the oading advance. Tho Chamber of )ommorco recently published a suggesion* by Mr A. P. -Wright that £4,000,00. should be spent qn highways from 'icton.to the Bluff. Christchurch:itself ad borrowed heavily for roading imrovements. Yet there were still people ?ho opposed the' suggestion -of .- motor ranspqrt.,to. Lytteiton. The passenger raffic to port would be a 'considerable tern. .The growth, the wealth,- • and tc status of the City were so.splendid liat there should be no doubt of the easibility of the c tunnel. He thought bat the coming of motor traffic had ompletely nullified the Port Sumner roject. To-day the time factor was liminated,, and although goods could e sent to-the estuary port in lOmiptes, the journey to Lytteiton would ike- only. 20 minutes, while there imortant facilities-already; existed.

Business Losses Through Delays. Provided it could be put through without any increase in City rates, a tunnel road would, be of great business advantage, said Charles Ogilvie, managing director of Beath and Co., Ltd. After travelling abroad, ho thought that New Zealand was too slow in grasping any proposition that entailed a sum of money. He suggested that if a toll were made it would pay for the tunnel in twenty years, when access could be free. He gave a reminder that tho railway tunnel was still unpaid for. His company's position was that it had sometimes taken three weeks to get goods from Lyttelton to Christchurch, while at present from eight to ten days was frequently the period. In modern merchandising certain goods could be sold in a reasonable period only if there was rapid transit. A fortnight's delay made, for seasonal goods, all the difference botween profit and loss. Finns had dismissed Christchurch in favour of Wellington becauso the port facilities there were much bettor. Electricity in Canterbury was cheaper than in any part of-the world ho, had. visited, and he urged tho necessity of good access as a complement to this advantage. Mr Ogilvie quoted examples of American tunnels recently put through. Tho finances of the tumiel road might seem difiicult, but if a scheme could be found entailing no increase in rate 3 it would have general support. He suggested that under the tunnel scheme the larger firms might have their own wharves. The reclamation of land would meet some of the charges. Questioned by Mr Longton, Mr Ogilvie stressed tho danger of having two ports with tho business only for one. If the Port Christchurch League could give tho assurance that the port would cost a certain amount, and no more, and that it would admit ships of any depth, his opiinon might be different. The uucertainty of the sand was the trouble. The tunnel road had a wider appeal because it was a more reasonable proposition. He admitted that the tunnel road would give no further attraction to business firms until, the tunnel was free. His firm would use the tunnel road' oven at a greater cost in tho hope that at the end of twenty years the tunnel would be f re* of. access.

Protest Against Increased Bates. Mr Ogilvie protested against any increase of rates because of the tunnel. ' «The rates at present are so excessive that no business house would care to have them increased in any way. We pay heavy City rates in addition to land and income taxes." The tunnel road, he added, was an immediate necessity. It was a pity that New Zealand business did not have the American attitude in its willingness to pay more heavily for a new convenience that would be free later on. James Mercer, managing director of J. Mercer and Co., Ltd., coppersmiths, reiterated other manufacturers' opinions of the disabilities in tho present sytem of tranport between City and

port. The averago delay in the receipt of goods was from thrco to four days. "Trucks Ur,

In the seasonal periods of importation, the average delay was at least five days, said Harry Adolphus Cooper, clearing clerk for Beath and Co., Ltd. In normal times the delay was threo days from the time goods were cleared from tho ships at Lyttelton. In tho seasonal rush tho trucks were. used as sheds and tho delay became greater. Another difficulty was that the different cases of material were in different trucks, and there was great difficulty in sorting them out. Under tho present system it was impossible to know whether goods had been discharged from a ship or not. If transit sheds were available on tho wharves he would know whether goods had arrived and would bo able to transport them imediately. Tho faciltie3 at the Christchurch end of the railway were absolutely obsolete. Witness had been in his position for 22 years, and had never had difficulty in getting claims for breakago and pillaging met. Breakage Through Bough Handling.

Breakage through oxcessivo handling was tho chief complaint of Harold Galdstone Bradley, principal of Bradley Bros., glass-manufacturers, and iate president of the Canterbury Manufacturers' Association. His particular trade was the import of glass, said Mr Bradley, and in this there was a great deal of breakage. The goods wero not damaged while in transit, though they might come 10,000 miles, but merely in rough handling after arrival. "The less breakage, the losb handling wo have to pay for," he continued. Sometimes the Railway Department roceived goods after dark, protecting themselves by saying that they were not responsible for damage in the dark. For the settlement of claims, there was invariably trouble between the Department and the shipping companies. Of 80 cases of glass recently shipped, 12 were now waiting at the Christchurch station, damaged or pillaged. English firms in the business had adopted motor in preference to rail transport. Claims are Fruitless. "The trouble is wo can't bring our claim for damage home to anyone," said Mr Bradley. "The railway won't recognise it, and they have given a clean bill to the ships This business of shuffling cargo time after time undoubtedly causes breakage." The time elapsing between the discharge of goods and their receipt was from two to eight days, or longer. Tho dispatch of goods from the Christchurch end was "an absolute curse."

Mr Bradloy estimated that he could save 25 per cent, in transport costs by road. If the tunnel road was constructed, he would send and receive all goods through it, even if the cost was 25 per cent., or as much as 50 per cent, greater. Georgo Kowc, general manager of Fairbairn, Wright and Co., Ltd., said

that his present inclusive transport charge from Lyttelton averaged lis 4d a ton. Of this, railage averaged 7s 10d. He estimated that the cost by road would bo 5s a ton. The delay under the present system varied from two to five days. Witness thought that if the road were constructed, it would attract about half the tonnage now going by the railway tunnel. Perishable Goods Delayed. Tho manager of a merchant firm, who asked for the suppression of his nanio, said that even perishable goods and foodstuffs, like bacon, were not available until the second day after discharging. It was difficult to get the Railway Department to recognise any claims for breakage. At present lub costs averaged lis 4d a ton by measurement. Emphasising the cost to the country as well as to the merchant, of tho railway system of transport, Morvyn W. Stevenson, chairman of tho Transport Committee of the Progress League which recently investigated transport complaints, said that nine times in the last 12 months, two or three boats had arrived at tho same time, causing serious blockages. The handling of tho cargo from the ship to the consignco was a specialised business, yet the Department was constantly shifting its officers about and men, ignorant of local conditions, were frequently in charge. From his experience, tho transport troubles were due entirely to tho railway. Tho Harbour Board was not responsible for the delays, which were due, invariably to railway conditions.

Department "A Brick Wall." "The merchants of Christchurch complained 20 years ago, and they have failed to got any redress," he added. "It's like hitting your head against a brick wall—it's hopeless, and the merchants have had enough of it. In my opinion tho viewpoint taken by the Railway Department of the carriage of goods from Lyttelton to Christchurch and the present commercial viewpoint are diametrically opposed, and it is hopeless to reconcile them." Application had recently been made to tho Department, to extend tho time for the dispatch of goods from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It had done nothing. In Wellington cargo was received up till 3 p.m. Tho storage period was originally 7 days, but when the Department complained of a longer delay in taking the goods out of store, the merchants agreod to reduce the period to two days. Tho shed capacity was 5300 tons, and the daily unloading capacity at Lyttelton was 1963 tons. General Motors Deterred.

Edmund John Hubbard, garage manager of Blackwell Motors, Ltd., said that his firm was strongly in favour of immediate access by road. By rail, cars were not received from four till 26 hours after discharging at a total cost of 17s 6d in freight and wages. By road over Evans Pass the ears could

be in the garage in two hours at a cost of Bs. The journey through the tunnel road and back, would take only one hour, and the transport cost would be 4s 6d.

Lack of access to the. sea at Christchurch was tho deciding factor in the determination of deciding factor in the determination of General Motors to build its factory in Petone, Wellington. Before deciding on a location for the works, the company investigated all the centres of New Zealand. Witness understood that the choice was finally between Christchurch and Petono. Potone won simply because the facilities there- for access to the sea were better than those in Christchurch. While he was garage manager for the Colonial Motor Company, Wellington, this company had selected Timaru in preference to Christchurch for a similar reason. "There is a tendency to-day for firms having their headquarters in Wellington to try to dispense with their Christchurch branches," said Mr Hubbard. The railway tunnel was obsolete.

Christchurch required only . direct accoss to the sea to attain a leading manufacturing position in the Dominion, said Francis Leigh Hutchison, secretary Of M. O'Brien and Co., Ltd., boot manufacturers, and vice-president of the Canterbury Manufacturers' Association. Important manufacturing firms shied away from Christchurch because of its poor transport facilities. He muc>- preferred a tunnel road to a port in the estuary. The distance to Lyttelton was only another three miles, and the aggregate cost 01 transport over this distance would be small .compared with the enormous outlay necessary for the port. Lyttelton was too fine a natural harbour to be done away" with while there was such great uncertainty about the success of the estuary port.

Improved Motor Transport. That his association had passed a unanimous resolution favouring the tunnel road was the evidence of John Septimus Hawkes, secretary of the Canterbury Automobile Association, which had a membership of COOO. It was reasonable to assume that in SO years the number of 200,000 motorvehicles in New Zealand might be doubled. It was on the cards that both tramways and quite a number of railways, would go out of existence. In the United States of America even stock was being carried to markets by motorlorries. The brains of the world were at present concentrated on the motor industry, and the improvements made in the industry were wonderful. The Diesel-engined truck would give still further economy, and accessories, like tyres were.giving better and better service. Improved roads were being laid, and with these the number of cars in North Canterbury, already 24,000, would grow rapidly. Highways'were being put down all through the country and it was only right that the port

should bo easily accessible to these highways. The manager of the local "branch of a rubber company, who asked for the, .suppression of his name, said that an. attempt was to have been made to run a competitive service over Evans Pass. He gave a definite instance, of a Scottish tyre company which, investigating different localities '■ for • a factory, had preferred the North Island and Timaru to Christchurch because of this City's poor access.

_« Mhe City Has Stood StaU.'?■. Protesting vigorously that Christchurch was lagging behind the: North Island ports, William. Graham Jamieson, principal of J. aiad W. Jamieson, Ltd., building contractors,/ \ said' that the City should < have had a funnel road twenty years ago. Lytteltbn, he emphasised, was the key-port' of .theSouth' island;- Yet in'-the past fifty years, scarcely any new facilities had been added: there were still the old wharves and rotting 'piles, while the North Island ports had- ferroconcrete structures. The electrification of the tunnel was just a little whitewash, which had done nothing but* save people from dirtying their hands; Christchurch wanted a > tunnel s road, and it had wanted one for. twenty, years. .".We've let all tbo manufacturing companies start in Wellington and Auckland, and we've done nothing,'' he continued. "We have unsurpassed power here, but'we've stood stUL" He mentioned the railway deviations and improvements at Wellington and Auckland. "After seeing those; I come down to Christchurch, and have the pleasure of waiting over an hour to get from Lyttelton to ChristchurchThat was last Sunday morning, and the snow was on the hills. We" had' to' hang about while the train shunted this way and back. It was all very refreshing, but not exactly good for business." ■ i

Sir Walter Stringer: I was there myself.

Harbour Board Behind the Times. The Drainage Board, he continued, had at least completed the scheme which it had started fifty years ago, but the Harbour Board had made no move at all. His firm used a great deal of cement and heavy materials, and he could promise that it would all come through by the tunnel road were this facility available. Port Ohristchurch was an impossible project, because the Government would never sanction •■ it, because it would mean the scrapping of : all improvements at Lyttelton, and because the country was •■ against it. There was no advantage in.putting a doubtful artificial harbour against a fine natural one. In reply to Mr Longton, Mr Jamieson said that Lyttelton harbour .was naturally as fine; as- a harbour could be. Nature,. ; he pointed out, did not provide wharves. Comparing conditions between Wellington \ and .Christchurch, .Alfred Joseph Simpaon sad Wil-

Ham*, Ltd., booksellers, said that In the north the average period from wharf to warehouse was from two to four days, while.here it was from three to eleven days. The tunnel. road would save days of time. Because of its inadequate access, the province saw industries established in other centres.

Cheap Transport Costs. Because it would save transport costs from Xiyttelton, anti provide a great impetus to commercial motor transport in. Canterbury, Victor James McKibbin, managing director of South' Island Motors, Ltd., supported the tunnel road project. Had that road been available, motor importers would have-saved an estimate of £3OOO in transport charges in 1929. The figures of motor costs given by Mr W. E. Carey he considered very conservative. He 'endorsed the previous evidence of'slow "delivery by rail. The cost should be within Mr F. W. J. Belton'sestimate of 6d per ton mile loaded both ways, and 1b per ton mile loaded only one way. Henry Gillies Livingstone, land agent, stressed'the development of Lyttetton as a suburban and residential district which would result from the construction of the tunnel road. '

Advantages for the Tanner. > Tie advantages of the tunnel road to the farmer were set out by John Dryden Hall, farmer, and past president of the Farmers' Union and the Canterbury A. and P. Association. It seemed only reasonable that when all other lands were favouring motor transport, Christchurch too should have this form of transport and rid the: State of the monopoly it held over the service to "Lyttelton. The price of wheat, and the price of bread in other centres, had been considerably increased because! of transport charges. : lt cost Is a" bushel to Bend wheat to Wellington. Bationalising the farming industry in-Canter-t>ury was an enormous thing, and one of its chief difficulties was the arrangement of transport. When everyone had made his profit from the wheat there was very little leftior-the-farmer, and'anything that "would increase'that little would be.most welcome. ,With improved transport, the North Island's bread bill would be £300,000 less. If ' the season had' been wet, thousands ef pounds' worth of wheat would* have been ruined in the fields' because'-' of the truck shortage. He agreed with the ' general statement of Mr B. E. -Alexander that the farming possibilities of Canterbury were great and» inereas- ; ing. If road access were available ■ it would carry a substantial portioa of farmers' produce. Mr Holderness: If the' transport cost through the tunnel was 1 greater/ would you still favour itf Mr Hall: Certainly:' To have that Government sit down on that- -tunnel and strangle us-in Canterbury i» more than we can - stand up'to. After s all, it.'a our tunnel, not theirs.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19300530.2.130

Bibliographic details

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19941, 30 May 1930, Page 17

Word Count
3,684

ACCESS TO SEA COMMISSION. Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19941, 30 May 1930, Page 17

ACCESS TO SEA COMMISSION. Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19941, 30 May 1930, Page 17