The Lyttelton Times. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20,1862.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1055, 20 December 1862, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20,1862.

We have never joined in the vague cry of " Justice to Lyttelton" which is raised at irregular intervals in our little town whenever a good thing in the shape of a grant of public money falls to the lot of any other part of the province. "When we have nothing to do we will put our backs to the wall and bawl " Justice to Lyttelton" with the loudesttongued—but not till then. Such an indefinite expression of unappreciated worth and virtue is as liable to a hard construction in the case of a town as of an individual, and perhaps deserves it quite as often. Whenever we have drawn attention to any public interests which have been neglected in or about the port town and harbour of Lyttelton, no expenditure has been advocated which did not appear to be necessary for the wellbeing and advancement of the province at large.

At this moment, the utter neglect of Lyttelton harbour is telling heavily against the advance of the province. From the time a ship approaches the Heads, to the time wh,en she weighs anchor to sail again from this port, her master has to contend with endless vexations and delays; and her owners suffer consequent loss. No one can suppose that the inhabitants of the province do not in the end pay for the bad name acquired by the harbour, or that the immediate delay and annoyance suffered by themselves in awaiting the shipment and unshipment of the goods is the only penalty inflicted on them. Notwithstanding our public works, the enterprise of the province is widely-discredited abroad,

and our commerce' is severely taxed in consequence of the absence of all facilities for receiving and discharging cargo. We may hope that the Marine Board will remedy many of the evils most loudly complained of now; and if its members are active and energetic, as much may be done by suggestion and example as by absolute interference. The lighthouse is to be undertaken, so soon as they have determined upon the best site for it, and the beacon at Godley Head will doubtless be put up without delay. It is to be hoped that the board will be constituted and commence operations as soon as possible. There are plenty of grievances to engage its attention. A Correspondent's letter in ourj- last issue pointed out an old system of imposture in the matter of ballasting ships which has long given an evil report to this harbour. The whole question of wharfage and lighterage, the regulation of watermen's licences, and many other subjects will come under their notice in the revision of the Harbour Regulations. But while we are waiting for the fruits of their labours, the public ought not to remit the attention which has been forcibly drawn of late to the question of wharfage accommodation. This question was shelved during the late session of the Council, and it was determined that "His Honor the Superintendent should appoint a commission to report before the next session in June. The delay is very unsatisfactory, as the want is so pressing, and the public were under the impression that information had been prepared for the Council beforehand. We trust that every possible detail will be investigated before the Council next meets, and that no excuse will be left for further procrastination. If the tunnel is opened before there are means of making profitable use of the line of Railway, it will be a positive disgrace to the Province.

But apart from such great works as a; deep water jetty and wharfage accommodation for large ships, there is a more urgent want which demands immediate attention, whether the larger work is undertaken or not. The traffic has now increased to such an extent that the" old Government Jetty and that erected by Messrs. Peacock are utterly inadequate for the discharge of the business of the port. If our readers really understood the tax they were paying in consequence on .every article imported, they would bestir themselves a little to have the evil remedied. Every time» a ship arrives from England or from the neighbouring colonies loud complaints are heard of the delay experienced before consignees receive their long-expected goods. But few seem to trouble themselves as to the cause of such delay. If they cast a glance on the state of the jetties they would see one cause in a moment. Piles , on pile** of goods along the whole length of the Government Jetty, and every inch of room alongside occupied by craft discharging cargo are a goodly sight, if there were plenty of accommodation for all. But when it is well known that while part of the cargoes lying in harbour are being discharged, the rest is detained on board because there is no place to land it, a very different impression is conveyed by the busy scene. If we add to the grievance of want of. jetty accommodation, the further

grievance of bad management, it is really a wonder that the commercial community have been so long apathetic on the subject. The extra width added some time ago to the old part of the Government Jetty has not given the public the benefit that should have been reaped from increased space, for there has been a quantity of rubbish piled on it for some time, and it appears to have taken root there. The Government have let the jetty at an annual rental, subject to certain conditions. We presume that the most stringent of these is that of giving the utmost possible accommodation to the public. Whose duty is it to make the lessee do his duty ?

If the Government were to add another length to the present jetty, the work would not be thrown away. The commercial demand would be satisfied till the wharves connected with the Railway are opened. After that time there will still be plenty of occupation for the smaller wharf which could not be so convenientlytransactedatthe other. A comparatively trifling expense would save a large annual wasteland the owners of the private wharf would be necessarily stimulated to add to their accommodation also. We trust that in considering the larger scheme, the immediate wants of the port will not be forgotten.