The Wanganui Chronicle MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1928. A GOOD INSURANCE POLICY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20128, 23 April 1928, Page 6

The Wanganui Chronicle MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1928. A GOOD INSURANCE POLICY

PEOPLE of Wanganui will no doubt experience a feeling of pride at the realisation, made clear to-day in the story written by the CHRONICLE man who accompanied the Kahanui to sea on Friday night, that it was through the possession of such a tug by the Harbour Board that the disabled steamer Gale was towed to Wellington when a previous attempt had failed. Apart from the value of the property involved, the safety of the crew was at stake, and no expense, no risk, can be considered too great when human lives are in danger. Though the steamer was not ashore, it has been made clear that had the Kahanui not been available when she was, there is every chance that the Gale would have been in dire distress -within a few hours. It is just over a year since the new tug arrived from England, and for a year she has been moored at Castlecliff, getting up steam only occasionally for pilotage purposes, and thus providing additional material for criticism by those who, when the matter of obtaining her was under’ consideration, urged that the provision of such a vessel was only a waste of money. Now, in one night, the critics have been answered, and answered fully. The safety, the very existence, indeed, of life and property has been endangered, and by the Kahanui’s services the danger has been averted. She may never give a return for her outlay in actual cash. Neither do hundreds of insurance policies, but their value is never doubted. And so it is with the Kahanui. The fact of her presence is a guarantee that should ships ever’ be in difficulties on this part of the coast, they will have close at band the services <tf an up-to-date salvage vessel, and—as the events of the week-end have proved—the services of a crew in no wise inferior to their craft. Speculation can be of no avail in the face of established fact, but there will be few who will not concede that had the Kahanui been available when the Cyrena went ashore, that luckless vessel’s chances of being refloated would have been greater to a convincing degree than they were. The Board’s finances will benefit, probably to the extent of a sum well into four figures, by the tug’s excellent work on Saturday, but while this will be a welcome instalment on the outlay incurred, the greatest benefit will accrue from the evidence ship-owners now have of the very practical safeguard the port of Wanganui possesses. The Kahanui serves as an insurance policy to owners that the safety of ships coming here can be and will be protected, and also as an insurance policy to the Board, and through the Board to the ratepayers of the district, that ships will be sent here.

And that means a bigger return to the district than salvage fees could ever be hoped to produce.