ONEHUNGA HARBOUR ACCOMMODATION. To the Editor of the Daily Southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XX, Issue 2259, 17 October 1864, Page 5

ONEHUNGA HARBOUR ACCOMMODATION. To the Editor of the Daily Southern Cross.

Om correspondence columns being impartially open, wo (lie not to bo identified with any opinions expreised therein ! ( [ ■ i

Sris,—On the above subject you say, in your issue of 7th October :—" Why the site of the pivsent whaif was selected we know not"— (L wi 1 tell jou) — " hub we .u c glad to bo .able to state that arrangements have been made with the coutiaetors to ti.insfcr the wmk to be done to a &»te where the funds available for the improvements of Onehunga Tlarboiir will be sufficient to complete a ■\\oik which will be of gieat advantage to the commeicc of the port." Time will show whether tbc now works proposed in lieu of those pioposed to the Piovincial Government by myself, in fiufchci.ince of the objects for which the stone pi ejection of the west point w*s undertaken, is bettei calculated either for the advancement of the poi fc or for the beneficial outlay of the very limited funds available from the Provincial Govern incut. The third paiagraph of your observations will be aiibwored by the conclimens to be dtawn from my explanations. I have been one of the most constant and urgent supporters of the works I am now to explain, and, theiefore, it is perhaps just light first to say I have no possession nor individual interost in the town or poit of Ouehunga, never hud, nor purpose to have. Many years past, befoie Piuviucial institutions, my business leading fiequently to tioad the beach, soon made me sensible, not only of the capabilities, but albO the want of such improvements as would duplicate and con til m the supeuouty of the City of Auckland in its claim to the leading position and einpouum foi foieign commeice. Many and thoughtful considoidtions of the natuial facilities presented led me to conclude that the supeaoiity of dock accommodation, coupled, as it would be, together with the immediate wai ohonsiug of goods from the vessel's hold, and the leclaination of laud for building purposes, was peculiarly and most prominently exhibited in the natuidl features of the harbour ; and that, in its results, would be found very much, tb.e mo<.t economical. Having taken a piomiucnb paib ill the endeavours to develop the capabilities of the poib, his Honor the Superintendent honouicd me with a request to attend him on a visit to Onehunga, for the purpose of asceitawing the future pi ogtess of improvements. Ou the whaif, his Honoi informed me that he dcsiicd to widen the whaif, and form a lauding ptotfoun, on which carts could turn ; and if so, dzd I think dues could be chaiged ' My auswer was, "Ceitaiuly; bub it would be much better to make the cut into the basin, wheie better and permanent accommodation could be made for the merchants of Auckland, and denve Uieiofiom a much larger xvvenno, by duns and warehousing, iudependenb of that of the 2>iolits anting fiom leclaimedland, under one cost; and thus realise a largo fund, sufficient not only for ropa^ mont, but to iollow np both the ltclaniation and docking icquired from time to time, without any other aid but their own harbour endowments. J3ut, if you pie determined on the increase of the wharf, limit it to a T, cairied downwards, not exceeding 40 feet in advance, and throw your stone within, to secure your piles fiom being tom away by vessels." I was then intioduced to the engineer, who asked if the wharf could not advantageously be extended. I answered no, that it would be not less than 1,000 feet before any advantageous increase of depth would be obtained, aud the expense would greatly I exceed the cutting into the basin ; that it would be j but a temporary accommodation, requiring frequent j outlay, and eventually to be swept away Tim ' engineer objected, the piobalnlity of the silting up destroying the cutting When we shifted to the : east point, I called Ins attention to the relative ' position of the points and the piotrusion of the ; stone woik, as being to eveiy appearance sufficient ' to wan ant a disbelief of any foiinidable obstructions fiom silting up. I think, on that view, the engineer conciuicdiii the probability of the correctness oC i my opinion. I delivered a tincing made by myself, hastily enlarged fiom a tracing of Captain Drtiry's survey, and from the caie I took to check the soundings by such beatings as I could deduce, I am pretty certainthe depths are laid down sufficiently accurate. On that plan the depth of water was shown off both points, and that both were Government reserves. Mercantile men will appreciate the explanation of the superioiity of the results to be derived from j permanent works, to deliver goods from the ship's bold into the wavehon'-e, as against delivery, on a temporary whaif, into enrts—little better than from boats to carts on the beach. But the question may faiily be asked of me, If you knew of the nearer approach of water whaifage on the east point, why did you not take advantage ot it ? The answer is, both points ate reserves, the eastern the smallest, the western embracing the entire depth to which tho basin as a do-k would be cut. To put the wharf on tho east poiut would, notwithstanding

its temporary accommodation, letard the docking and _ warehousing, the i eotaimiug land, and the obtaining a permanent efficient revenue, which whaif duos alone will nob give. Bub I also had a use for the .eastern point. In my.pi'eliminaiy prospectus, .as far back as or befoie iSS2, I made provisions, mentioned hereafter. My prospectus was shown to Mr. W. rt. Graham, Connell and Hidings, and some otheis 'I do not now remember, They, however, while thinking favourably of my Kcheme, owned no land Mien in the vicinity, but wero willing lo give a friendly hand if it should be promoted. My endtfavoms to uscei tain the owners of pioperty resulted in finding the east side especially was grin ted in small lots to numbers-, some of wlio-,o names only could bo ascertained ; on the 1101 th bv Isiger lota, owned by Government and other officeis, not likely to take any interest in mercantile linpiovcinonts. ' J had proposed that tjie owners of pi operty abutting should form a company, and invite a connexion or co-opeiabion of a .steam-ship company at Melbourne, they lo assist with preliminary advances for the leqniiito opciations>, and to bo 1 enumerated by a conditional lea^e on the east point ; to form for themselves the neces aiy excavations for their own limits, and the peiroissiou to extend a temporary ojion-pilod wharf outside for their immediate use I*,1 *, which for a flat-bottomed steamer anything mider 500 feet might do; deprecating myself any stonewoik (beyond a heading) which might obstruct the - reflux of the tide Now, I fear this proposed 300 feet of stonework unless very judiciously placed to aid m forming an enhance basin at a future need, will be very likely to aid in silling up at the month of the basin, which the present stonework w.as designed to prevent, because silting up is from the action of a tnibulent sea throwing in, and wanting a sufficient counter-action of reilux. As the weight and oulduft of Frodsliam- water has been catefiilly preset ved at fjiveipool, so should all the upper watei of Ouehunga lie unimpeded in tin owing its weight toincieise the outward wash ou t'tc face of tio reclaiming woiks. And I would suggest that the placing of tlus stonewoik be carefully considoi el, and if found to mteifero (as 1 fear it will do, should it bo extended to the entire fall of tide) that what c.vn be spaied of ifc be tin own down leughly fot a sea-facing to the land leclaimable at the western side I hope that some such proposal of a wai chousing lease iuitl whaifaye will botued with the Melbourne slc.unci-t, or done by the Government for thorn, and if so that the temporary outer whaif will be wholly open-piled. If the engineer have nob coinage to encounter the cutting and docUug, then let the whaif be gone on with, even though lb bo not opeu,-piled. ' I shall ba glad so far that, although prolonged,., tlie day will most ceitainly come when the ciy from the new whaif willbeloudaiidirrCMstibleto carry the shipping from the exposure of the winter storms to the security of the dock waiohousc. The dideiciee between cpiay deliveiy and dock waiehouses in the earlier periods in London river was found to be not less th in 10s per ton on good«, and the lime ocenp'od in ilischaigiug into waiehonsinq of St. Catheiinc Docks <iud open qua^s was one-tenth of that of tlie lvltei. 1 lielieve that the wharfage ol) timed will be mole limited, andec|iully o\ pensive, ta a cutting in sufficient for 12 to 15 colonial ti&deis, which would be enabled to dischaige by the ware-house cianis.* I hope I have sitislied you why the works foy promoting Onehmiga a«s a port attached to Auckland commenced at the weit point of the basin. That it «as not a chimeiical scheme, bnt one founded on a caieful consideration of the capabilities, encounteiing difficulties fioru oppraseis to any scheme which did not hi ing the pottatjc to their own premisei A shrewd Aineiican captain sai casticdly rcmaiked that the Hoodie of Onehunga seemed so little able to use their haiboui^, he wouK! lecomn.eud thorn to make whaifs and wai chouse* ntPunu, which would save thetiouble of coining into the haibour. — Youis, &c , \V. PoWDircw, Epsom. P.^. — The material from the excavation would be sufficient to cover from four to live times the area of the cutting without cost.