OUR HARBOURS.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14651, 4 March 1918, Page 2

OUR HARBOURS.

NEED OF A WELL-CONSIDERED

CLASSIFICATION

In the course of an exhaustive paper on "The External and Internal Communications of the Dominion,"-road before the conference-of civil engineers, Mr J. Blair Mason, consulting engineer to the New Plymouth Harbour Board, touched on the increasing need ior a greater depth of water in our harbours. "The continual increase taking place in the size of oversea- .vessels,", he said, "has become at many ports-a matter of concern,'-'especially." where the limiting depth of waterways is -dependent-' on tidai-scour ? and where rock-bound. The I provision ior vessels of large draught j and tonnage has become of first importance to marine authorities. Tho evidence, obtained by the Dominions' Royal Commission shows that continuous development in the size and draught of vessels must be expected, and that ports such as main and terminal ports should be prepared and equipped to meet such developments." Aftei quoting Sir John Biles, the eminent naval architect to the above effect, he went on to say—"The commission state their belief that the developments at Suez and Panama, and the consequential changes in the greater harbours of Europe and America, will accelerate the rapid increase in the size and draught of ocean carriers, and advise all main i ports to prepare to receive vessels. up to 40ft.. draught. "There is no doubt that the authorities of the Dominion's mam and terminal ports are fully aljre to these/future possibilities. In .New Zealand, Auckland and. true, port of Wellington are happy in having the natural advantages of depths of water commensurate with their requirements. In the South Island, Nature ha? not been so kind, and at Lyttelton and Dunedin considerable expenditure will be required to secure the. water necessary for these future requirements. In tho meantime for the laV|;e overseas vessels they must, however, continue to be worked as tidal ports, in common with British ports, and all Australian ports save Sydney and Hobart. The harbours of tho Dominion may be divided into two classes. In the firstclass we may place-those which are today centres of trade and the rendezvous

for large shipping, also tliose both natural and artificial which promise to become, as commerce and population increase^ ports of trade for oversea vessels. In the other class would be included those known as coastal ports, which from their environment and incapacity to receive large vessels, can never develop into first-class ports. It seems to one that some importanco attaches to a well-considered classification of our Dominion's ports, not only for the future development of our mercantile marine, but in respect to the expenditure on harbour improvements which in the aggregate entails on the community at this early stage of our natural existence a considerable financial burden."