CITY AND PORT.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16158, 12 March 1918, Page 2

CITY AND PORT.

BETTER MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. AN OLD-TIME SCHEME REVIVED. A suggestion made by the late Edward Dobson, father of Mr A. Dudley Dobson, City Surveyor, in connexion; with the improvement of communication between Christchurch and Lyttelton, has been rovived by Mr H. S. Hobday, of this city, as worthy of consideration now that the subject ifi receiving a large amount of public attention. The scheme suggested by the late Mr Dobson provides tor a tunnel undor Evans's pass, which would emerge, on the Lyttclton side, at Golian's Bay, the locality selected by the Harbour Board's engineer (Mr Qyrus J. R. Williams) tor the future extension of Lyttclton harbour. The iSumner valley is said to be the largest indentation into the hills in the neighbourhood of Lyttclton, and a "tunnel under Evans's pass, it is estimated, would be, approximately, only 50 chains in length, or, roughly, about half the length of the existing Lyttclton tunnel. The land that would* be required to be purchased if this tunnel were constructed, would not bo expensive. It is suggested that a railway should be laid through this second tunnel connecting up with tho existing line near the Lyttelton railway station and, on this side of the hills, via Ferry head. The construction of this second tunnel would, it is claimed, considerably reduce the risk, in view of the liability to volcanic disturbances in New Zealand, of the present tunnel being blocked. It is also urged that, by the construction of tho extension of the harbour at Golian's Bay and of the new tunnel, tho present disabilities, caused by the Railway Department having control of the waterfront at Lyttelton, would disappear, or would be, at least, greatly minimised and arrangements could bo made by shippers to accept delivery directly from ships. Mr Hobday remarked to a representative of "The Press" that, while he did not at all favour the canal scheme, he thought that it was more than possible that somo minor trade might eventually grow by way of tho Sumner bar with tho smaller class of vessels. In that eventuality the scheme outlined above would lend itself to tho necessities of such trade. As to the cost of the proposed new tunnel as compared with the cost of duplicating the present tunnel, Mr Hobday thought that it would cost about half to construct the new one. In addition to providing against tho risk of traffic through the present tunnel being hlockcd as tho result of volcanic disturbances, Mr Hobday pointed out that in duplicating tho present tunnel there was a risk that the explosions might disturb tho casing of the tunnel, or of the rocfc above it.