LYTTELTON HARBOUR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12569, 2 August 1901, Page 3

LYTTELTON HARBOUR.

■ At the meeting of the Lytteltou'Harbour Board yesterday,. Mr F. Waymouth, tho chairman, said that a leading article referring to the Beard had appeared in the columns of tho "Press." It was unfor : tunate that -the ■ .writer had net made himself conversant with the circumstances under which Lytteltou Harbour was governed as against Wellington., The, Secrc-, taiy had prepared a few points on which the harbours differed, but the trouble arose mainly'from the fact that the Lyttelton Board had merely to make and maintain the wharves; the Government had control of all the working. In, Wellington the Harbour Board did everything. Tho facilities for working cargo in Lyttclton were quite as good its in Wellington, but delay was caused because in Lytteltcn everything had to be dene from trucks, while in. Wellington there were sheds c.i the wharves, and'drays could be brought right up to the boats. He much regretted that a'newppaper 'should practically vilify the Board before .'ascertaining.' that ii>s remarks at least.nearly approached the truth. ■.The Secretary's report, stated that the conditions 'of harbour traffic at Lytteltou and Wellington were entirely different, and, it was quite* impossibie to make a fair comparison, la the first place; Lyttclton wns served entirely by the railway, and 'thejv as "public carriers" and sole.users of/the. Lytteltou wharves. the : pro visions., of. the. Lyittelton'Harbour-Board Land Act, 1877, conducted the'entire business thcrjon. Oh the other hand, most-of the wharves at;Wellington were under.the control of the Harbour, Board; and were served j by cart "traffic. The facilities for loading j cargo were as good in' Lyt'teltoh as at W'c'l- | lington.'and quite as rapid dispatch had been given to vessels at the wharves. The work of discharging vess?:s at Lyttelton was, iii consequence of the whole, of the goods having to go into trucks, subjected to greater delaiys than at Wellington, where ■most of the'goods went into shed or cart.. The work of discharging c:al was conducted under similar conditions at both Welling-. ton and Lyttelton. To discharge coal int.v elevated bins, and from these into trucks .would only entail- an additional handling.; coal for. inland went into tracks direct, whilst that for steamers' use was. loaded into.hulk?. It also, frequently happened .that steamers in Lytteltou were coaled from a ." collier "or hulk, on the cuter side, whilst, the steamer was loading or discharging cargo' on the opposite side at the wharf, thus expediting the boat's dispatch. Want of trucks occasionally delayed the discharge of vessels at Lyttelton. In regard, to providing better facilities.for taking "through passengers" alongside steamers, the Lyttelton Harbour Board had contracts let for the i:ecessary timber for lengtKening and widening No. 2 Jetty, and the work would be carried out as soon as the timber came to. hand at the end of the present year. These timber contracts amounted to ovr £IO,OOO for the additional wliarf accommodation. Great difficulty had been • experienced in obtaining Australian piles and timber for harbour works, and delay had been the consequence. When No. 3 Jetty had been lengthened and widened, through passenger trains would run, right on to it, and the alleged vexatious delays in regard to passengers' luggage, etc., would be removed; At the present time luggage could b; booked through from Christchurch to the steamer's side. The fact that Christchurch, the distributing centre; was seven miles distant from the seaport, fair comparison between. Lytt'eltoh r '7fnd Wellington, almost impossible. ■■'■' J ~"" > I ] ' 3 '- \ Mr -Rave' thought that the ai J ticle_ .rej ferred to"would do a great deal' of good! Lyttelton was not up to date, ; The great difficulty was the question of control. Tha entire control of the wharves was vested in the railways, and if there was any blame, it, must,lie" attached to the railways. At the same time, the Board was. expected to point out to those.in authority necessary reforms. He thought. the luggage system was capital, and he had found the officials at IMtetton exceedingly obliging and efficient" But'the system necessarily entailed many delays. Since 1890/ too, there had always been, - a,' shortage of workmen at Lyttelton. ' The remedv, howeveV,' was not : ; as' 'l easy.'. tp find as'the"' 'faults. The loadiiig;'»discharg:ing and-'conWol of the trucks m'ust ; be' under* the saih'fe control. That was' : one of the main points. Mr. Kay© then moved —" That the question of improving the, present method of discharging and loading-'ves-sels at Lyttelton be referred to the Harbour Improvements Committee for tho-rouo-h "investigation, and that the committee be empowered to call in expert advice." The motion was seconded by Mr Pitcaithlv and carried. ' Mr Pitcaithly considered ■that the great fault lay in the shortage of "rolling.stock- 1 , . - n| ,