THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, MAY 11, 1899.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11060, 11 May 1899, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, MAY 11, 1899.

At tho present time, when efforts are being made to deprivo Auckland of tho exclusive advantage of being the solo port of arrival and departure of tho San Francisco mail steamers, it is to bo regretted that tho departure of tho Mariposa yesterday should liavo been delayed for two or three hours owing to the inadequacy of the appliances provided by the Harbour Board for handling cargo. It appears that among tho steamer's cargo were two lifts each weighing ten tons. These were left to be discharged at daylight, but it was found then that owing to tho tide having made, raising th.<! vessel considerably, the crane in use on the wharf was not high enough to bo of any service. The result was that operations had to be- suspended until tho tide fell low enough to enable the crnno to be used, in consequence of this awkward liitoh tho steamer's departure was derived, and although the time lost Svi.il be made up in tho run across to Sydney, the incident was deemed sufficiently serious by the captain of tlir.' steamer to justify his making a foVmal complaint in writing to the Ilarbom Board. The matter will

bo 'tonight before that body at its n.tfxt meeting, when we understand the chairman will bo prepared to submit a scheme of improvements which, i if adopted, will, it, is assumed, effect a 1 radical change for the better in the general methods now in vogue. Tho time has now come, we venture to assert, when the present system of controlling; the business of the port of Auckland must be seriously reconsidered, unless the Board manifests a

greater capacity and zeal than it has hitherto displayed. Its past management. has been a long series of muddling and meddling. There lias been 110 clear and well-thought-out policy. Everything has been haphazard and makeshift, often resolved upon without due consideration, and insisted upon in the face of practical experience. The initio] mistake which the Board made was in dispensing with the services of a-competent engineer. This was the falsest of false economy, a mistake which we arc only now beginning to realise in its fullest degree. It has unfortunately been the fate of Auckland to suffer from this misconception of the importance of having the services' of the best, professional engineering skill at its disposal. Wo have been content with indifferent ability, while other cities have been securing the best men procurable. ' Had the Wellington Harbour Board, for in-

stance, adopted the same shortsighted and parsimonious policy which our own Board lias thought fit to follow for years, it is not (in unreasonable assumption thait the Dorfc of Wellington would not have acquired the exceptional facilities that it now enjoys. These have bean due almost entirely to the fact that the Board had a thoroughly competent engineer, and that it was wise enough to follow his advice. Years ago the Auckland Board had an equally competent engineer in its sen-ice, but it refused to be guided by his recommendations, and eventually dispensed with his services, since when it has muddled along in a nondescript fashion until tho port has been left, so far as shipping - facilities are concerned, a long way behind the requirements of the time. This state of things must now be ended. Wo are heartily sick of the self-complacency of those members and officials of the Board who have kept assuring us that wo had nothing to learn from Wellington, and that tho arrangements hero were superior to tlioso at other 'porta. This self-de-lusion has been the curse of Auckland in preventing all change and improvement. So far as harbour matters are concerned, wo have a vast deal to learn. Wo have been standing still wliilo other ports have been steadily going ahead, and have, like tho Bourbons, been forgetting nothing and | learning nothing. It, is not necessary, perhaps, to examine too closely the reason for all this. We are not. now so much concerned with the mistakes 01 tho past as with the necessity for immediate action to remedy a condition of affairs which is a reproach to our enterprise and commercial spirit. There is, we are pleased to see, an indication of some attempt being mado to bring our shipping facilities up to date. The present chairman of the Harbour Board is thoroughly alive to the pressing necessity for the adoption of improvements, and is showing a laudable zeal in seeking to bring about a much-desired change. We ho .e tho Board will catch tho infection of his enlightened energy and reforming enthusiasm, and that we shall see a determined effort made to place the port of Auckland in the foremost position as regards berthing accommodation for vessels and facilities for loading and discharging cargo. It is only by such a policy that wo can hope to retain the advantages that wo already possess, and increase the trade of the port. Although wo do not imputo blatno to the arrangements of the Board for the delay in sorting the mails, this is a matter which we think it should inquire into. The official explanation which wo publish to-day implies that there was unusual delay in getting tho mails discharged i'jom the .ship, although it in 110 sense excuses the inexcusablo conduct of the postal authorities in refusing to sort tho mails because they did not reach tho Post Office until fifteen minutes after midnight, when, according to Mr. Hiss, the sorters who were waiting went home, notwithstanding that it must have been known that tho wa<r"on containing the mails was then on its way from the wharf to the Post | Office, or at least about to start. We think that the Harbour Hoard, equally with the Chamber of Commerce, should see that this supine manner of treating the San Francisco mails is put a peremptory stop to. It is bad enough to have one of 0111 own members endeavouring to damage the San Francisco service, so far as Auckland is concerned, by m'ossly misrepresenting tho Leader of tho Opposition as being opposed to it, and to Auckland's claims, without having tho postal authorities, for the sake of waiting fifteen minutes, helping to discredit its importance.