ACCESS TO THE SEA.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20898, 4 July 1933, Page 13

ACCESS TO THE SEA.

To TH , tDnoa or TU« P, S3S . Sir ~T he historic question, "Wot's the good of ennyfink?" and its hopeless l n JT T >: "Why. nuffink," is brought to one s mind by the letter over the signature of H. Hobday. I hope I do erp *v et your cor respondent when I say that, apparently, he disapproves of any secondary industries New Zealand, and that both Timaru and Dunedin have been temnt thei/ ports enCe Unduly by dev elopmg who n l±f te Of. port Christchurch belfeve nl to make othe ™ tranrfS-mli? • Christchurch would be nr u 0 ? secon d Manchester nf ® m^ by the construction of an estuary port, * would richly de.erve to be labelled a madman, a would h» lCh considers wnn ri hi W / U ® arned by thoSe who would transfer the sea-borne trade of Christchurch from Lyttelton to the

There is no need to make Christchurch into a second Manchester, for the city and province to derive great benefit from better access to the sea secondary industries are well established in New Zealand, and notwithstanding your correspondent's disapproval, will remain here and increase and multiply—unless the country collapses completely. Many, besides myself, believe this country to have a prosperous future—the present depression will end like many others have done—and believe that Christchurch should be placed in a position to have its fair share of the expansion of trade and industry which will surely come. With further increase in population, and there is room for a large increase, the secondary industries will expand in proportion. Let us prepare to receive them!

The gloomy prognostications as to what will happen to an estuary port are nothing new. Similar discouraging prophecies have been made concerning many great industries in the past. It is the power to overcome difficulties that makes the science of engineering so fascinating. Ports throughout the world are working in the face of much greater difficulties than port Christchurch will have to contend with. The Y-Muiden canal to Amsterdam, finished about 1377, runs through from the open North Sea beach to the Zuider Zee. It is exposed to high tides and floods: I do not know about earthquakes. Traffic has to proceed moderately slowly along it; there is not a hill, 100 feet high, within 50 miles of it; nothing whatever to shelter shipping from the heavy gales of the North Sea; in fact, it has every disadvantage that has been stated to make port Christchurch impossible—as well as one or two extra —and still it is a busy waterway. As the population of Amsterdam has increased from 273,000 m 1877 to 720,000 three years ago, I expect the citizens" consider the construction of the canal worth while. I think the same favourable opinion of their ports would be expressed by the majority of the people of Timaru and Dunedin. I cannot see in what way the railways have been specially constructed to meet the needs of the primary industries. They look just ordinary railways to me. What the difficulty is that "has never previously been clearly presented," in regard to connecting Christchurch by rail to the estuary port, I cannpt imagine. Perhaps Mr Hobday will present it a little more clearly? Also he might explain how "Sumner, both by road and sea, would be completely isolated." I am not in the least impressed by Mr Hobday's argument about the navy. If the safety of. New Zealand depends upon the retention of port Lyttelton, we are in a parlous state indeed. — Yours, etc.. w CRAWSHAW . July 3. 1933.