WELLINGTON WHARVES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 89, 8 January 1908, Page 8

WELLINGTON WHARVES.

INADEQUATE ACCOMMODATION. DISTRIBUTION'RETARDED. _At' a special meeting of' tho Wellington Harbour Board to-morrow, Mr. G. Shirtcliflc, in accordance with notice of motion, is to move that the time has now como, wh'on increased wharf and ' shed accommodation at tho Queen's /Wharf should be provided. In May,; 1906, tho Board's Engineer recommended the widening of tho outer ■ teo of tho Queen's .Wharf, and tho crection of twostoried sheds thereon. Tho proposal will be t'o givo offect to this recommendation. J ■ Crowded Shctl. ■■ Even to tho casual visitor to the,wharf the difficulty of finding room for the cargo Which comes out of the ocean liners is apparent. The sheds into' which tho Athcnic is at present emptying her holds are already piled high, and in some parts packed tight, with goods. The thought that conies to the uninitiated is the delay that must/bo occasioned in the subsequent sorting of the multitudinous cases, kegs, casks,'orates, etc., for distribution over. the district. The matter, however,^is not one'for casual observation, and the opinion of the president of the local Chamber of Commerce,: Mr. J. G; Harkncss (who .is also secretary of the National Dairy Association), was obtained yesterday by a Dominion reporter. , ■ •

Four Years. Behind Requirements,

Wellington,'! said, Mr. Harknesa, "we .are in the'habit of flattering ourselves that wo have made a big expenditure in connection.'with iour wharf accommodation. There is.no doubt that we have spent largo sums in giving effect to this principle, but, as a matter of fact, 'the wharves to-day are practically four years behind the requirc--ments of the commerce of tho Dominion. Large steamers like tho Athenic and the Connthio have'ample room for berthing, but the difficulty is that the receiving- sheds on this wharves were'constructed some years ago and are. only sufficiently large t'o deal. with a cargo of, two thousand'tons.' And as tho steam-ors mentioned frequently put. out from four or five thousand tons, it must bo apparent to anyone giving the matter consideration that thoro.. is nothing like sufficient.room in' theso sheds to'undertake, in a proper msnnor, ,tho transhipment ■ of goods, to the various coastal steamers, that carry. the. cargo to its destination. In my opinion this is ono of tho matters that should bo taken into immediata . consideration by the Harbour Board. , If Wellington ,is to hold the, premier position in the Dominion, as, the leading.port, especially for the transhipment <jf goods imported,' it is essential that not only should we have, the best, facilities for handling the goods, but ample provision should.be made in the sheds to expedite their transhipment and delivery." . Wharf Extension. "Of course it will be urged-by some that tho extension of the Queen's Wharf, will probably interfere with tho large steamers' approach to the sido wharves —such for instance as tho Taranaki' Street; Glasgow, and King's Wharves. I will candidly admit that T'havo not sufficient oxpert-knowledge to say whether that.will be the caso or not.- But cortainly to .bring tho Qucon's Wharf up to da to we need very much morq accommodation in the Bhcds. Of courso it will bo further urged that on the. completion of the King's Wharf, which will probnbly bo during the prosent year, amplo accommodation will bo provided for 'incoming steamers to disohargc cargo. That may, to a certain extent, bo true, but the principle which has been worked in' connection witn tho Wellington wharves ill the past has 'been concentration. To use the King's Wharf for the pur-, pose, stated, will very much, operate• against that principle. I am stronglv-of opinion that with the opening of the Main Trunk Line the business of this port is'going to increaso to such an extent, and so rapidly, that wo shall really require tho Glasgow and Queen's wharves • for lo*ding out-going produce. At present'- we are' limited to the Glasgow Wharf, which has only two berths for outgoing ocean steamers. And at this season of .tne year it is frequently tho cose that at least three or four such steamors are waiting to load at the same time. These aro the only wharves on which tho railway trucks are run, which' is so essential a factor in the shipment of prodiico from the interior. It is estimated that £70,000 or £80,000. would bo necessary to make "such alteration to the.Queen's Wharf as will:givo effective-means of dealing with tho situation —the distribution of cargo to the small boats; without ■unnecessary delay or expenso." ;' Tho New Dock. Mr. Harkncss added that.he, thought tho bringing up to date of the wharfage, accommodation should take priority over, the .mattor of, tho new dock. A dock would eventually be necessary for Wellington, but the 'wharves had tho first call and- demand on .the resources of the Board, and tho. dock '-would follow, later on. The .wharves were ah absolute necessity, tho ' ,'dock was a luxury, which could be delayed without detriment to the port as a whole. Want of More Berthage.; , - A" representative of a large shipping firm also, spoko briefly, and to tne point, to tho reporter. . Tho want of more berthago and shed accommodation, he said, was felt'all tho year round.. Vory- considerable delay was, in. fact, caused to. companies. The only berth in whioh largo ovorsea boats such as the Athenic and- lonic could bo accommodated, when' fully laden,' was No. 1 South,; on account of the. depth. of water. This, meant that the sheds at th(it berth wero soon filled beyond their capacity (tho No. 2 sheds also being utilised), and•tho result was ' that' boats could not berth thoro immediately after-tho.liriors had discharged, on account of-.want, of shed, accommodation. Berth No. 1 North was used for -intercolonial boats, because' the sheds .-thoro wero too small for Homo steamers,' arid tliis meant' that boats coming in between times required -to make uso of the inner, berth's, whero there wero fewer, sheds. and- facilities, which meant dolay and' extra cost in handling.