A PROGRESSIVE PORT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 109, 31 January 1908, Page 9

A PROGRESSIVE PORT.

DEVELOPMENT OF WELLINGTON - HARBOUR. fc-V ' ""V • ■ ■' ''' .IMPORTANT-SPEECH BY THE CHAIR- ■ v MAN OF THE BOARD. ' THE PATENT SLIP. At yesterday's meeting of the Wellington Harbour !Board, the Chairman (the Hon. T. K. Mac'JoHa!ci 4 JI.L.C.) made an important statement ia regard to the works now in hand or recommended by the Board's officers as urgently necessary. Mr; 1 Macdonald said that tho annual, report, of tho ongincer, its accompanying statements , of accounts,, which wore submitted, recently, dealt so fully with the past that .members who had carefully read thesb documents 1 wcro' possossod of a completo knowledge qf the workings of the Wellington Harbour Board during tho past year. As the.'future, however, was in many ways ,of! deeper importance than the past;' and this would -be . the last . .meetiu gof the present Board, it might be convenient for him,, after two-years ;of that special experience which came' to- every, Chairman of the Board, to fdrmidate' his conclusions as to what should' b? done in that respect by'tbo Board during the fbiihcomirig year./. '-- . • ,;.! ; ■ ;i . inland' developments. Nothing .could.- be /ninre -certain than tho fact. that evory sue'eeeding year would see enormous changcs in that vast extent of land lying between the. cities of Wellington and Auckland. Tho completion this year of the Main;. North ■ Trunk Lino of railway would revolutionise all the conditions of settlement and .commerce, in that quarter of the Dominion. .... Already new townships were being created all along'the railway route; and with' tho extended facilities now offering to rafmers to settle .upon tho Crown and Native lands build ;up'new homes, there would be a: wonderful .influx of .population. It was impossible that such changes could take place without vastly increasing both the import and export tratle of tho city and rprt of Wellington.' This iii its turn meant a revolution in' the shipping trade. Sailing ships had maide way for steamers, and steamers Were growing, larger and more complete every year. • Wharves and sheds that ten years ago w§ro not only up. to date/, but in front; of requirements, were to-day inadequate. It was/, absolutely necessary ,to at once increase the area of berthage and shed accommodation', or the Board might seo the "deplorable spectacle of , largo, steamers arriving from abroad and having to lie out in'the harbour to,wait for berths in order to disehargo cargoes. -