THE PROPOSED DOCK.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12420, 1 August 1902, Page 6

THE PROPOSED DOCK.

TO THH EDITOR. . Sir,— The Ota«o Dock Trust is again soliciting the. support of the various local bodies of Otago towards the construction of a larger dock at Port Chalmers, and the members of those bodies, .lookin? only at the surface, are too easily led into giving ■that countenance to the project which is asked for. Few people can refuse support to a request for large sums of Government money :to be spent in their district; but, strange to say. while wo see that a legitimate work like the Otago Central railway cannot secure a properly representative meeting of its league to consider business of importanoe, there is almost a- rush for priority, among the various bodies to help on a proposal for a work which cannot be shown to bo necessary—which cannot by any possible means pay its way if constructed;, and to which the class of vesse: to be specially benefited could not approach by reason of the disgraceful condition of part of the channel between Port Chalmers and the Heads. To the second of these points it may bo said that it is expected that the Government will provide, if not the whole £150,000 or £200,'000 wanted, at anyrate will furnish so much as will suffico for the first financing, and enable tho trust to commence tho work, and by a more careful finance than has characterised the trust in its past history may possibly utilise a small annual surplus and endowments of small value to supplement the Government gift. This, no doubt, reflects tho opinion of Jhe people at whoso door this large expenditure is to he undertaken, but it does not commend itself to business men, who like to see their finance assured before entering upon a gigantic enterprise like this. By-the-bye. I do not remember any statement published by the trust to show how the' scheme is to be worked out. I am rather of opinion that these arithmetical efforts have been kept strictly confidential. If a commencement be made.with any Government contribution short of the sum named theip is no doubt a time of deficit will come, and then there will follow an additional burden upon the shipping of the Porr to meet that. , With regard to the third point, that a long veßsel could not got to the dock if constructed, that is beyond dispute, and no two men know this better than the Hon. Mr Gourley, chairman of the Harbour Board, and Mr E. G. Allen, M.H.R., one of its members; and yet by suppressing this

important piece of information they seek to, get bodies of intelligent and well-mean-ing men to stultify themselves by sunnorting a perfectly preposterous proposal. It is to be hoped that all men requested to help forward this movement will apply themselves to a ,«.ost. searching inquiry into all points bearing upon the subject, and if they do this I am persuaded that the outcome will bo that they will feel inclined to cay to the members of the Harbour Board above-named: "You better make a way for the vessels before you construct a dock." —I am, etc., N. Z.