LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2558, 4 September 1915, Page 3

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

' X\ NEW WHARVES AND ECONOMY. ta Sir,—-In your issue, of a-fewvdays;ago I noticed'a paragraph-whichv>said:jthe < Harbour- Board iwete getting- some:'9o .-'; tons of; ' "steel. for' the new,,wharf "at Pjpitea. s ' 1 i :,./:Tlie outcry at -present for more wharf.ago is the same :as has beerij going*on . -.forithe last-twenty years:■•••."The vari- ; ous shipping companies, tradingi to'this port have -never ceased .to agitate' -for this in- season and out .of season,- and - there ho -fcaisoh .for?tl^e.pre-" ■ v sent outcry for :■ this enormous expenditure at this time, - All-material has_ gone-up in value , and likely-to go 'higher. ,Tho-oversea I companies have inofeased their freights ' at-least 50- per: cent. • Material is diffi-1 , -cult to get, .and labour.,more difficult: ■Is this a time to waste, our v monoy and manhood-on wharvesr-whichV are:.'not ! remur^iatfvthe^^ - feven.; withini -tliQ: next .'.few: yeareHSiviv-'r : . The present wharfage is good for the • next ten: years, possibly- for-more:'>l' J,would; draw your ; ; attention;j%':\Catitain; > Johnson's (the late Harbourmaster) ■ . port for last year; in which he states; . '- -."Average tonnage-rqse from 1327. tons in 1889 v to-. 4176■< tons ■ in: 1914, an 'increase of 214.5 per ceat< •? .This plainly ,t slH>ws;the iwroased- size'-of-the'-steam-ers, one of the greatest factors to .tho increase,in: the traffio of - the port is .its' ..spacious harbour of deep water. No . ourreiit, arid splendid' 'berthage: accom'-:' modation. Therefore, the continued t increase in; the size of steamers cannot become an. obstacle in trading -to this port, and I believe .it will continue to . be the. final port in the-Dominion for • J deep-di-aught steamers departing- for Londoli or elsewhere. Only six veS- ■ sels with a net, tonnage of . 25,560 tons were removed free of charge, during the ' - .Last -year, was, a- bad year for •' the port, as many of the Home steamers were detained in? port .a ,'. long- time owing ; to. -,tho ; strike; - -The ••-. heaviest traffio: was- in November':. -.The ..week from the-,l9th<.to'tho •.25th. .showedva : total of 277: vessels in.i>ort,-with-a net tonnage of 628,051- tons!, and there was little or no dblav- to any-one vessel during the year. Taking this week as-an , example and': multiplying it by 52 . /.weeks to:the year, -wo would get a total tonnage -of 32,658,652 tons if -we work ed all the- year round l at high pres- • /sure. ' What do we find?;-' The eutiro ■ tonnage . for tho 'year, - including - wardships :aiid:-: Goyerhinents I teamsrsi';-. ..is : only 3,127.182 tons, or less than 10 per cent, of- what can be done .without much difficulty to shipping or delay.. .Take even the greatest month of last year— place?':, ;.',We handled without any-appreciable delay V 347,149 tons, but if: all:the months of tho year were the samo, wo would only then have : 5,16o;788-tons for, the. year, yet we have proof that we have . handled -and wharfed equal to - 32,658,652 tons for the year. .'• .. . ! In the worst mouth of tho year we .only handled a net- tonnage- 128,817 • tons,- which is, a little over dne : tliird of : the .biggest month, and. which, shows . that the seasons are not badly distri- • butcd. * / . I thiuk you will see from these figuresthat- the- Pipitca Wharf is not an- al>--solute necessity at this time, ■ whqn=:wo;' . should 'all bepractising v tlie 'most Crigid' ■ economy.—l am, etc., JAS. M'LELLAN, ■ ''Inverlqchy," Wellington, ficpt. '3, :