SHALL THE MARINE SUPREMACY OF AUCKLAND BE MAINTAINED.

New Zealander, Volume XVIII, Issue 1741, 12 November 1862, Page 2

SHALL THE MARINE SUPREMACY OF AUCKLAND BE MAINTAINED.

Action having been taken in the “Marino Boards Act,” by fixing Wellington as the locale of the Central Boards, It behoves merchants, shipowners, farmers, graziers, traders, and every class to whom the agricultural, commercial, aiid maritime interests of the Port and Province of Auckland are of moment, to bestir themselves, in anticipation of the application of this important Act to their own immediate coast.

It is the good fortune of Auckland to possess not only one of the finest and safest harbours of the South Pacific; but to enjoy, in her sub-ports Mongonui, Wangaroa, Russell, TV angarei, Great Barrier, Coromandel, Mahurangi, and various others, a perfect net-work of safe and easily accessible havens such as scarcely another country or colony can equal. In the early days of the Province,—when the Middle Island was a waste, its prairies unstocked, its settlements unfounded, and its bights, bays, and rivers all but unvisited by shipping, —there was little necessity for Auckland to put forth her hand ; Nature, at that date, had done sufficient; she stood far off and alone in her maritime supremacy, and could quietly abide any exertion on the part of her Southern competitors to overtake or outstrip her. 'With a little of the exertion and expense which any and all of those rivals must put forth, Auckland will not only maintain her supremacy but enlarge her superiority, not merely as the greatest maritime port of New Zealand, but ultimately as the greatest naval arsenal of the Southern Seas—her vast resources in building materials of the highest quality —the continued and extending success of her ship-builders—her inexhaustible supplies of spars—the growing factories for production of native cordage—the development of her resources in gold, copper, iron, coals and other minerals—the extent and navigable facilities of those mighty internal seos and rivers which fall into and swell the tide of the Waitemata to the North, and fulfil an equally important service for Manukau on the South, —arc all unimpeachable assurances that in Auckland are centred the surest elements of a mighty commercial emporium. Much as Nature has spontaneously conferred upon Auckland, the time has fully arrived when her citizens must put forth their assisting hands. There are things which Nature, unaided, cannot accomplish. She may furnish admirable sites for quays, docks, building yards, and other accessop« of a vast maritime entrepot, bu’; withou enterprise, and expenditure on the citizens, these advantages can never be ttunedVo beneficial account.

Take for example the Queen Street Wharf. Instead of perfecting this great work—a work which Wellington, Nelson, and Otago are straining every nerve to imitate and surpass —instead of extending and fortifying the T’s already constructed—instead of pushing its terminus (about a hundred yards) to a point where the largest of ships need never fear to come—instead of forming a final T sufficiently long for two of the longest clippers of the day to berth alongside—instead of taking order for formation of a pier and breakwater at Britomart Point—instead of organising the establishment of a patent slip, or graving dock, which, if done, would secure for Auckland the repair of almost every American whaler in these seas, —they who hold the Provincial purse-strings apathetically fold their hands, blind or indifferent to the fact that Nelson and Dunedin both are actively on the alert in the matter of docks and patent slips, with which in their possession they well know they will be able to draw and divert a large amount of shipping to their shores. It is time that the sleepers of Auckland were awakened. Their competitors are treading hotly on their heels. Wellington has been appointed the centre of the Marine Boards. And unless Auckland bestirs, instead of maintaining the commerand maritime lead, she may find herself, with Southern men at the wheel , dropping cautiously and craftily into the Southern wake, to realise, when too late, the fact that a stern chase is a long chase, and very frequently an unavailing chase. Hints and warnings have, of late, been forced upon us again and again, and we must be stolid indeed if we fail to do our utmost to profit by them. As the note of preparation on the part of Marine Boards has been sounded from cllington, it is to be presumed that an Auckland Board will not be long in being called into existence. It I s to be hoped it may; and that not an hour will be lost in directing its attention to the subject of lights and lighthouses. With many and incomparable advantages as a safe and easy harbour, Auckland lies under this objection, that it is placed at the head ot the very deep Gulf of Orakei, without beacon or light to guide a stranger into port. From this cause alone, numbers of American whalers prefer touching at Mongonui, Wangaroa, and Russell, eten although their supplies of refreshment and refit have to be drawn, at greatly enhanced prices, from Auckland. Now it is not altogether suf - . cient that a habour shall be easy of entrance an secure when entered; its approaches should well and distinctly defined, so that no stranger shall by' any' possibility mistake or misdoubt ns way, a telegraph by day, and a light of the first magnitude by night, being his unerring guides. Fortunately for Auckland, to remove the objection to her being seated so far up the gull, Nature steps to her assistance and places the island o Tiri Tiri Maitangi at her disposal. No unnecessary delay should be allowed to occur in a telegraphic establishment, and erecting a lig 1 house on that island. Seaward ships cou communicate with the telegraph by day; an the inward-bound, arriving in the Gulf after dar , would be relieved from all apprehension by ascertaining their position and maintaining it during the night instead of being too often obliged to stand out to sea, and afterwards expend a day or two working into port. . . A telegraph and a lighthouse on Tiri Tin are works of primary and paramount importance, inasmuch as that island is at once the index pom to Auckland and Coromandel; and with prospect of the speedy and prosperous develop* njept of tl]6 latter, we cannot be too prompt PI

in aid of the numerous ships tloU1 ? n successful gold-field will cause to llock to which ‘i lldithouse and a light of a first-class char'r ,y US t necessarily be a work of time ; but a llniph station and a substitute light might tL • ddv sefc in motion ’ aml at ft cost nltogether with the benefit to be derived. I ' K ’| m , i telegraph (and the Tasmanian system I . l ,]‘ ffor ked so admirably at Port Arthur might I*, worthy of consideration) the requisities— spars, )o .j a ,r t ., Hags, diagrams —are easily procurable col l inexpensive. Under the eye of a smart and a ' U . wctic signal-master, but few ships could pass T'Gulf without his being able to communicate. Vnd for a temporary light no great difficulty need * oxpC rienced, inasmuch as we might imitate the Example, so long and successfully set by New--11 t j e 0 f lighting a nightly coal fire on the most conspicuous*part of the island. A light on Tiri Ti „i has been the cry of manners for many years. With a light on Tiri, they could shape a safe and course cither for Coromandel or the Waitcea^v or they could heavc-to with a full and satisfactory knowledge of their position With a IVht on Tiri, in the darkest night, the island •ould become a sure point of departure for the outward bound. And at an insignificant outlay—an outlay which would soon more than repay itjp_ {he harbour of Auckland would become as •.][ known for easiness of approach as it has long been for its manifold advantages as a port of refreshment and refit. We earnestly hope that the first proceedings of the Auckland hi urine Board will be directed to the immediate lighting of Tiri Tiri. .