OUR HARBOURS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 131, 20 February 1918, Page 5

OUR HARBOURS

NEED OF A WELL-CONSIDEEED

CLASSIFICATION,

In the course of an exhaustive paper on "The External and Internal Communications of the Dominion." read before the conference of civil engineers yesterday, Mr. J. Blair Sli-.soii touched on the increasing need for a greater .uepth of water in our harbours. "The continual increase taking place in the size of the oversea vessels, he said, "ha;, become at many ports a niattci of concern, especially where the limiting depth of waterways is dependent on tidal scour, and \uierc rock-boiu'.d. The provision for vessels of large draught and tonnage lias become of first importance to marine authorities. The evidence obtained by the Dominions' Eoyal Commission shows that continuous developments in tbo-size and draught of vessels must be expected, and that ports such as main and terminal ports should be propared and equipped to meet such developments." After quoting Sir John Biles, the eminent naval architect to the above effect, he went on to say— "The Commission state their belief that the developments at Suez and Panama, and, the consequential changes in tiie greater harbours of Europe and America, will accelerate the rapid increase in the sine and draught of ocean carriers, and advises all main portsi to prepare to receive vessels np to 40tt. draught. There is no doubt that the authorities of the Dominion's main and terminal ports are.fully alive to these future possibilities. Jn New Zealand, Auckland and this port of Wellington are happv in having the natural advantages of' depths of water commensurate with their requirements. In the South Island, Nature has not been so kind, and at Lyttelton and Dmiedm considerable expenditure will be required to secure the water necessary tor these future requirements. In the meantime for the largo overseas vessels they must, however, continue to he wurked'as tidal ports, in common with British ports, and all Australian ports save Sydney and Hobart. lhe harbours of the Dominion may be divided into two classes. In the first-class we may nto'-.e tho.su which are to-day centres of trade and the rendezvous for large shipping, also those both natural and artificial which promise to become, as commerce and population increase, ports of trade for oversea, vessels. In the other class would ho included those known as coastal ports, which from their environment and incapacity to receive large vessels, can never develop into first-class ports, it seems to ono that some importance attaches to a well-considered classification of our Dominion's ports, not only of the future development of our mercantile marine, but in respect to the expenditure on harbour improvements which in the aggregate entails on the community at this early stage of our natural existence a considerable financial burden."