HARBOUR V. RAILWAY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 6063, 24 September 1894, Page 3

HARBOUR V. RAILWAY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THB TIMARU HERALD. gia,— ln last Shuradaj's issue of your , paper tbe leading article comments on the ( Harbour Board's interests m regard to a petition to Parliament from the Freezing , Company, Ohristchurcb, Ihe Now Zealand j Shipping Company, and the Shaw Savills and Albion Company, fora goneral roduotion of ( 1 rates far railing frozon meat. Aa-jouobeerv^ \ tbe question involved ia an important t > one to all who are concerned for the t proaperity of the port of Timaru. If f a substantial reduotion is made m the railage rates on frozen meat to , Lyttelton, most of the meat from the South \ Canterbury frozen meat works will find its {• way there, besides pelta, tallow, butter, etc., c whioh are now being shipped at Timaru Ilien, e>« Mr Teichemaker asked tit last meet- t ing of the Harbour Board, what will be the r position of the Board P The reply must be, j that if the legitimate revenue that should be t colleoted at this port passes on to Lyttelton, t the natural result will be an extra rate r mutt bo borne by taxpayers m this (• distriot m order to keep the harbour open j for the olasa of veßßels visiting this port, j Batepayeis will no doubt wish to know who j are responsible for the present state of thioga —why che port of Timaru is (after all the j money that has bean spent) considered un- c safe for harbouring the class of modern j. ocean-going vessels now being employed for t the oonveyanoe of frozen meat and other r colonial prodnoe to all parts of the worldIn answer to Mr Teschemaker's question a I have no hesitation m saying that the v late majority on the Timaru Harbour Board, through their aotion m spending all the j, available funds of the Harbour Board m 0 experiments, aud m saddling the preient i; Board with useless shiogle shifting maphinery, E are entirely to blame. Had the money (. expended on the tug dredge been spent m carrying the mole straight out from the bend T into deep water, the olass of veteeU alluded 0 to would have received sufficient shelter imide b the breakwater. At present there is no deny- Q ing the fact that owners of large ocean going t ateamera prefer passing this port, it' full c cargoes can be secured from Ljttelton and a elaewbere. Their agenta and Lloyd'a inaur- g anoe representative, have, aa we know, re* [. ported unfavourably of the wave range inside t our harbour during stormy weather and they / ask fpr more shelter. Aa the South* Canter g bury Freezing Works are now owned out Bide c : Timaru (which by the way doea not aay muoh c for the publio spirit of cur prrtoraliata), G mostly m Ohristoburob, therefore the present , owners' aympatbies will naturally be m favour of Lyttelton. If railage rates can only be i reduoed to meet their wishes, m my opinion \ ' the only solution of the dinloulty it, if we c , desira to set iteamers of tbe olasa of the Fife* i \ shire, Moray shire, Maori, &0,, vitb ntjl) largor [ vessels ii the future, continue to visit our t port, we must at onoe take m hand to , \ provide the required shelter, and guarantee l , a safe harbour m all weathers. If on the j ' other hand we are only des'.rous of harbour* ( i ing vessels suitable for tbe intercolonial and , New Zaaland trade, the present harbour ia , quite suitable, but m that case all Home produoe will pass to Lyttelton and our port ( dues with it, and the ratepayers will be called j upon to keep tho port open by subscription. ( The working expenses of tbe port, namely, , Harbourmaster and staff, tug dredge and ( staff, eto-, etc., will continue about the same, but we will only have a eooond-olais port | , suitable for small vessels, ( : lam, «to., Wm. Bvaks. " Timaru, 22nd Sept., 1894.