HARBOUR BOARD MUDDLE AND CONFUSION.

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 348, 8 August 1885, Page 3

HARBOUR BOARD MUDDLE AND CONFUSION.

Auckland merchants pride themselves on being the smartest of business men, and Aucklanders generally like to be considered the most go-ahead people in New Zealand. And yet our merchants are a long way behind those of the Southern sea-port cities in one important respect ; they allow the Harbour Board to have its own way entirely and, blind to their own interests, permit a state of muddle and confusion that would not be tolerated at Lyttleton or Dunedin. With every facility provided by Nature and splendid berthing accomodation here, the arrangements in connection with the loading and discharging of cargo are simply disgraceful. As the matter now stands, when a ship discharges cargo goods are stacked on the wharf alongside, and must be immediately warehoused by the consignees or left "where they are, at the mercy of the elements and the risk of the owners of the goods. 4, The wharves are blocked up with drays and all sorts of vehicles, while passengers and pedestrians having business there are jostled and in momentary danger amidst the general confusion. No system or order seems to prevail — a happy - go-lucky-first-in-get-out-of-my-way kind of method among tt c draymen is the rf£s-order of the clay. And this need not be ; cmos might be easily reduced to the perfection of order, consignees goods removed to safe shelter, and passengers and pedestrians in less danger of their lives. -$ "Why not build goods-sheds on the reclaimed laud between the Railway Station and ihe wharves, and run the goods by a system of railway lines direct from the vessels 1 sides in trucks into these delivery sheds, under Customs control ? By this means the ship would be more expeditiously discharged, the Customs better secured from fraud, and the ponsignees' goods be provided with shelter until entries were passed and arrangements made for storage..