Lyttelton and the Midland Line.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18406, 12 June 1925, Page 8

Lyttelton and the Midland Line.

It is interesting, but certainly not alarming, that the Lyttelton Harbour Board is definitely now feeling the effect of the Midland railway. A year ago the Board suspected loss, but was hardly in a position to locate or measure it: now it is able to assess its losses but 1 not its acknowledged gains. The returns submitted yesterday at the Board's annual meeting' perhaps indicated, a little more than the effect of tho railway competition; but in the main tho big drop in coal and timber traffic as compared with last year (29,000 and 27,000 tons respectively) and tho less striking but still big drop' on tho year before last (17,000 and 5000 tons) must be attributed' to the opening of tho tunnel. Tho Board of course docs' not demand, like some Boards, that this. competition shall cease. It frankly recognises that the interosts of the whole community must come before those of any section, and that even a Harbour Board cannot complain if the public find it unnecessary to make.use of ships. Actually, however, the people of Canterbury will not use less ships in the long run, buj; more, The diverting of so many thousands of tons of coal and timber from the sea route to the railway necessarily disturbs the balance of trade at the Port in tho meantime, bnt.to the extont to which it saves time, money and men it stimulates trade in all directions, and .Will bring back to the Port more than has now been lost. The Board in fact admits that much merchandise has been shipped and unshipped at Lyttelton which in the pre-tunnel days did not see Lyttelton at all; and there will be more and more of that class of trad© as the West Coaßt is settled and developed.