The Star. FRIDAY, JUNE 5,1903. LYTTELTON HARBOUR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7723, 5 June 1903, Page 2

The Star. FRIDAY, JUNE 5,1903. LYTTELTON HARBOUR.

At a meeting of the Lyttelton Harbour Board, held yesterday, the Board's engineer presented a< report on the harbour. The report dealt at length with the present state of the port, its depth, and the past and present effect of silt, and included ti number of suggestions for improving it and maiintaining it in a state of efficiency. We do not propose to discuss the report in detail. Before touching on one of the principal features of it, however, we should like to join the Chairman of the Board in expressing our appreciation of the able manner in which Mr Williams has treated the subject. His work is deserving of the very highest praise, and it entitles him to the thanks alike of the Board and a grateful public. But interesting and instructive as the report is, to our mind the most interesting part of it is that which refers not to/ the state of the harbour, but to its future as the. front door for the trade of the province. Mr Williams does not review the question at length, hot does he commit himself to any definite conclusion on any one point. But all the same there is & great deal of significance in his remarks. After assuring the Board that the present accommodation in the inner harboui; can easily be multiplied by three without making any extensions to the water area, he goes on to urge that any considerable extensions ought to ba preceded by an exhaustive inquiry as to- -whether Lyttelton is the mo • economical place from which to deal with the trade paissing through Christ-church. As we have said already, Mr Williams dees not commit himself to an expression of opinion as to Lyttelton's qualifications, for dealing with a greatly enlarged trade, and nobody can question the wisdom of his caution. But his words have a) meaning nevertheless, and if we hav.e interpreted them correctly they indicate that there is some doubt in his mind as to whether Lyttelton can for, ever be relied upon to provide an adequate channel for the province's trade. If that is Mr Williams's view, it confirms the opinions of a very large number of laymen. For some time past there has been a growing feeling among a considerable section \of the more observant members of the opmmunity that the (day must ultimately come when the present port will be unable to cope with the everincreasing volume of trade. Mr Williams's verdict that the accommodation in the iriuor harbour is capable of expansion postpones that day, but that is all. It does not defer the inevitable. Sooner or later the" time, must arrive when, in spite of the most skilful employment of all the available space both on land and water, thjj accommodation will be insufficient to meet the demands made upon. it. Then, if they have not done so already, the people of Canterbury will be compelled to look elsewhere for additional harbourage. B>ufc they: will do well not to postpone their investigations until necessity drives them to look for another port. Delay, in that case would entail endless trouble, needless expense, and would probably be followed by at least a temporary loss of trade. But, after the very plain hint conveyed by Mr Williams's report, we cannot believe that there will bo any uelay. The Harbour Board has shown before now that it' is not blind to the future. Lcf's than twelve months ago it considered the advisableness of obtaining practical advice on the question of forming a port at Sumner. It got no further at the lime, but now, fortifie-d with its new engineers verdict, it would certainly appear to be justified in taking a step onward and deciding to seek advice.