BERTHAGE AT LYTTELTON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9535, 6 May 1909, Page 4

BERTHAGE AT LYTTELTON.

' ♦ ~ ALLEGED INADEQUACY. THE HARBOURMASTER'S STATEMENT. At the meeting of 'the Lyttelton Harbour, Boaid yesterday the -question of delay in berthing the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company's steamer Arawa towards the end of last month and, incidentally, the alleged inadequacy, ot the berthage accommodation at Lyttelton. were disciissed at some -length. The acting harbourmaster, Captain A. H. Thorpe, reporting on statements made in the newspapers, stated that he had endeavoured to do what he thought was best for all parties oon--1 cerned. On Saturday, April 24, every available berth for the discharge of cargo was occupied with the exception ' of the east. side of No.. 5 wnarf. On Sunday the position was unchanged, owing to no vessels taking their departure. On Monday, owing to a short--1 age of trucks, no vessels departed. On. Tuesday, at 6.30 a.m., the Komata left port] at 7 a.m. the Rosamond and Wanaka shifted and the Arawa berthed about 9 a.m. at No. 3 wharf. -The Blackball Coal Company's hulk lay alongside the Buteshire coaling her. On Monday morning the company's port manager asked for a berth for the hulk, so that she could /land coal and a berth was given on the east side of No. 5. The IVestport Coal Company had been in a similar position. It had been stated that the hulks could have been shifted to other berths, but there was no other discharging berth available, and as the hulks were used to facilitate the movements of the colliers they must have a berth to discharge at after. the colliers had sailed, otherwise the colliers would be detained and would occupy the berths occupied by the hulks. On April 24 : Thorpe spoke to Captain 'Dougall, marine superintendent of tn'e Shaw, Savill and Albion Company, and ex- ' plained to him that owing to bad weather delaying the vessels in pprt he could not see his way clear to berth the Arawa till the following Tuesday 1 morning. Owing to the steamers Drayton Grange, Langton Grange, Wanaka, Komata and Den of Ruthven. being delayed by the wet weather from Friday till Monday, and as on Monday there was a shortage of trucks, shipping became congested and so brought about the delay in berthing the Arawa* Mr C. Cook said that he did not think that the acting-harbourmaster's report on the^ATawa was quite correct. Captain M'Dougall had told him that 1 he did not want the Arawa to come from Wellington too quickly, and that he would have plenty of time to work her and despatch her on Saturday if she got a berth on Tuesday. That was the reason why the Arawa had not left Wellington on the- day she could have left. ' A great deal had * been made of the matter, and it had ■ been alleged that the harbour could ' not accommodate the shipping, but it should be remembered that at the period mentioned the No. 4 wharf was ijndergoing repairs, a wharf that could accommodate two steamers of the Arawa's size. There had been ample berthage at Lytteltbn at the time referred to if it had been wanted. Dr TEacker said .that at least on three ocasions colliers had been unable to discharge their coal. Mr M. J. Miller, referring to the Arawa, said, that he thought there had been bad \ management on the part of the acting-harbourmaster. There had been no necessity to delay the shipping. Captain Thorpe had shown very little tact, and the difficulty could have been avoided by a little more forethought. Mr A. Kaye said that the remarks

of the two previous speakers were hardly in accordance \vith_ the facts. Two vessels would have sailed on the Saturday night hut for> the bad weather. Captain Thorpe could not have foreseen that such weather would come along and prevent the ships leaving. He thought that in the circum.stances it was unjust to accuse Captain Thorpe of want -of tact and judgment without giving him an opportunity to j refute such allegations. I' Mr G. W. Russell said that he had been astounded by the remarks of Messrs Cook and Miller. Captain Thorpe had g^ven a perfectly clear and I fair explanation of the matter, yet Mr Cook had reported a conversation he had had with somebody in Lyttelton ! which Mr Cook regarded as a statement challenging, correcting and falsifying the statements of the Board's t responsible officer. If Mr Miller's statements were true, then Captain Thorpe was no longer fit to be continued in the Board's service. Messrs Cook and Miller's statements were an attempt to make out that Lyttelton possessed harbour accommodation which it did not possess. If this was the class of statements that they had to expect from the Lyttelton representatives on the Board he would have to keep his eye on what was going on. (Laughter.) The chairman (Mr H. Friedlander) said that Mr Russell's position with regard to a report from an officer of the Board was illogical, and meant that the Board could not criticise such, a report. He moved — "That the matter d© referred to the , Harbour Im.prove'ment Committee to report on." Mr Cook, seconded the motion. The chairman said that according to the newspaper reports a telegram had been* sent to Wellington delaying the Arawa because there was no accommodation, but if 6he had arrived on Monday morning she could have been berthed. In the circumstances and in the interests of the harbour — (Dr Thacker: " And the canal.") — the matter should be inquired into. They would come to the canal in due course. Dr Thacker : "lam very glad that yoti admit that we will come to it." The Chairman : "To the question of the canal, not to the canal." The motion" was agreed to.