A DEEP SEA HARBOUR.

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 May 1907, Page 3

A DEEP SEA HARBOUR.

the Editor.) Sir,—l see by to-day's telegrams that our Westport friends are becoinYing alarmed lest the Admiralty should decide upQlXmaking.a harbor.at, Ppj.pt Elizabeth, and so divert the oversea trade in coal away from their port in the Bulier and transfer it to this district. Sir Joseph Ward has cabled the intimation that the British Admiralty under certain conditions (not specified in the cable) have approved of a survey being made at Point Elizabeth. Evidently reports have reached them from Lieutenant Wheeler, Admiral Fawkes, and others of the enormous quantities of anthracite coal (which is practically smokeless, and, therefore, invaluable to warships) stored up in the Paparoas, and which is outcropping at Blackball and also at the rear of the present State Mine workings at Runanga. Sir Joseph Ward would also enlighten them as to the feasibility of building harbor at Point Elizabeth. He has perused the various report? that have been made by Competent men \. he has seen he model design of Mr Lord's which was on view at the Christchurch Exhibition, and he knew the views of his late chief, R. J. Seddon, on this matter. The late Premier viewed the making of a harbor at Point Elizabeth as a matter of national importance, and doubtless ' Sir Joseph Ward will represent it to the Admiralty in that light. Our present Govefnmeftt have authorised the survey, which is now being made, and will shortly be completed. They have sufficient data already available to; warrant them in recommending the project as one calculated to be oi inestimable benefit not only to this colony, but to the nation at large. Britain must maintain her naval supremacy, and in-order to accomplish this she must possess an unlimited supply of the very best coal. She can obtain the best coal from Wales in the north ; she will no. doubt see the wisdom ol obtaining aft equally good • article ir the south.. The question of spending a million pounds in making a gooc harbor is a mere bagatelle comparec with the advantage of having such i harbor in near proximity to unlimitec > : supplies of anthracite coal. To West port eyes the proßpect of war Vesseli Bteaming past "Westport in the tlirec • tlott of Greymouth is intolerable, bu Home of our Westport friends may liv< long enough to see a railway line run ning along the Coast past Charleston Brighton and Barrytown, to Point Eli

zabeth .along wh'ch they will be glad to send their coal for shipment in vessels lying in .port there, capable of carrying away 20,000 tons in one bottom. Admiral Fawkes was* having a little joke l with the Westport people when he asked them whether it were possible to make a harbor at Cape Foulwind. .He knew that any harbor made there would silt up as fast as . made with, the deposit from the Bulier River, constantly emptying into it. He knew also,' and expressed himself very plainly as to the disadvantage of a coal, like the. Westport article, on account of the clouds of smoke which prevented his vessels seeing one an other when firing was taking place. I the Westport folk took the Admira seriously they must be blinder thai Greymouth l residents ever supposec them. They may cable to Sir Josepl Ward, to the Admiraltv, or to. Ameri can millionaires, but they all ha,ye to* much sense to consider for a momen the making' of a harbor at the Steep les.—Yours etc., r.. ,-.ro : » jn PAPAROA ANTHRACITE.