THE HARBOUR OF AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 8987, 27 February 1888, Page 3

THE HARBOUR OF AUCKLAND.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,—The various samples of jealousies extracted from Southern journals, that are occasionally noticed in your locals anent. Auckland, are evidently considered here as perfectly harmless, and that such little displays of pettish ness pleases them. This surly rivalry has existed over nearly half a century, and appears to be ingrained in their present generation. This "finest harbour" pretension of theirs, however, was, at one time, most unscrupulously manifested against Auckland upon the political question of the port of call of Panama boats; so much so, that a public meeting was called to protest against and correct the mischievous attempts to thrust Auckland's good qualities far into the background. It was then shown that Dunedin could not afford more than 15 feet of water in the bar. L.S., fatal to the intended service. In placing Wellington under review, the lamentable features of the want of permanency were shown in the outbreaks of the earth in the '20's, '40's, and '60'« years, and again in the long records of wrecks both in the Straits and Harbour, resulting from its peculiar local tempests. At the same time Auckland, without lighthouses, furnished no casualty, or wreck of vessels, either entering or departing. Nevertheless, Auckland lost the election, in a way similar to her previous loss of the seat of Government. Still a few Auckland worthies continued their efforts to secure Imperial recognition ofthisportas a naval station. Over a course of thirty years nautical authorities had recorded opinions favourable to the movement, but no minds had appeared amongst those who had been entrusted with harbour management of sufficient calibre to carry the idea to a successful issue, although a commission of citizens had obtained from one of the most eminent engineers in New Zealand plans for docks that would accommodate men-of-war visiting this port, and thereby reckoning a contribution of £20,000 offered by the Imperial Government for such purpose. One dock was estimated to cost £75,000 and the other £120,000, but when the Harbour Board was appointed they resolved all previous digests into the small coasting vessel dock, built at an enormous cost on a shallow shore, of increasing silt, half a mila from the main channel. In the year 1852, when the war clouds were gathering in Eastern Europe, the inhabitants of Sydney transmitted a petition to the Queen, praying that Her Majesty's Government would constitute the port of Sydney a naval station, the Imperial Government having already expressed a readiness to supply the required ordnance of an Admiralty station for Her Majesty's fleet in these colonies. The petition went on to state that "it is unnecessary to remind your Majesty's Gevernment that the harbour of Sydney is inferior to none on the face of the globa as regards both its extent and its security ; but unfortunately, there is an obstacle to its occupation by ships of the line in the existence of a bar not far from its entrance, over which ships exceeding the size of a frigate can scarcely pass, the only ship of the line that ever entered the harbour having touched the bar in passing over it." Auckland immediately protested against the claims of Sydney to be considered the fittest port for a chief naval station, and referred to the document of Port Jackson, according to its own showing, as being a. bar harbour, impassable by ships of the line, the only vessel of that class, the Warspite, having touched in 1836; and to this may be added that even a 36-gun frigate, the Castor, was compelled to anchor in 1846 until the tide rose sufficient to float over it." The Auckland memorial also set forth that "with reference to the construction of the dry dock at Cockatoo Island, there exists also another great obstacle in the tides, which in Port Jackson hardly rise and fall beyond four feet." Various competent naval authorities were then quoted (even Admiral Berand, of the French Navy) " that in point of position, facility of entrance and departure for ships of any burthen, and at any time of tides, security of anchorage, sufficient rise of the tide (from 14 to 16 feet), and other natural advantages, Auckland, as a headquarter naval station would be infinitely superior to any other port of Australia." With respect to position, it is nearer to the French settlements of Tahiti and New Caledonia, to S. American continent, the first Australian port from home by the nearly-completed Panama Canal, by which visits of the highest class steamers may be expected. Combined with these advantages, for the creation and maintenance of a mighty naval arsenal, there is the fact that the port is situated in the very centre of a rich and productive country, abounding in kauri forests, yielding the finest spars in the world, and timber trees for building and repairing ships of any magnitude. It commands the East Coast by its own immediate ports, and tho West Coast by the accessory port of Manukau. In approaching the port of Auckland off the Tiritiri lighthouse, an anchorage is afforded of from twelve to sixteen fathoms, and from thence to Rangitoto the depth is from eight to nine fathoms. In the passage between the Island and Flagstaff shore, 8 to 10 fathoms, with safe anchorage in 6 to 7 fathoms in any weather ; opposite I the town the anchorage is from 7 to 9 fathoms, for a breadth of 1£ miles, and six miles further up a depth of 4 fathoms. With these geographical and physical advantages, it is not to be wondered at that all competent naval authorities have recorded their high opinion of the magnitude of our harbour's natural advantages, and endowed, as it is at last, with the most capacious dock in the Southern hemisphere, and easy of extension to the dimensions of the Great Eastern. Petty writers at the South should cease their unavailing jealousies and misrepresentations.— am, etc., H. M. Jervis.