LIGHTING THE COAST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19729, 31 August 1927, Page 10

LIGHTING THE COAST.

With one or two particular instances emphasised, the general need for better lighting of the northern coast of New Zealand was urged upon the Minister of Marine in the House of Representatives yesterday. The proposal for a marine advisory board composed of master mariners, to advise the Marine Department on points affecting navigation, the device Mr. Lee suggested, is one on which judgment need not be passed hastily. It may have its uses; on the other hand, there may be serious difficulties over its constitution. But there have been happenings in the past to show that the whole subject of lighting the coast is worthy of review. A little over five years ago the Wiltshire, an overseas ship carrying a valuable cargo, ran ashore on the Great Barrier, becoming a total wreck. Fortunately all the lives placed in peril were saved, but the economic loss by destruction of the ship and those portions of the cargo not recovered was very heavy. It then appeared that this passage, increasingly used by ocean-going ships, would be made much safer by the installation of a small, unwatched light on the Great Barrier, close to the place where the Wiltshire met her fate. One of those most nearly interested in questions of navigation said at the time that ho and his associates, though then concentrating on a demand for the lighting of the Three Kings, were far from satisfied that the coast as a whole was supplied with enough lights and beacons to make it safe. Little has been done since then to improve general conditions. It should not be a case of wrecks proving the need for better lighting; the beacons should be provided to prevent wrecks. The contention of seafaring men that the coast is not well-enough lighted is one which should be answered, either by disproof or by action to remove the cause of complaint. The shipping on the coast is growing in volume and value. Its safety should be guaranteed by all possible means.