The Daily Telegraph SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 1881.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 2994, 29 January 1881, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 1881.

The stranding of the Silver Cloud, it is to be feared, will have a damaging effect upon our harbor. The accident is certain to be turned to account by those whose interest it is to keep large vessels from coming inside, as well as by those who from the first have regarded the harbor works with well-merited contempt. Mr Vautier may be said to be the leader of the latter party, and it is, perhaps, not a curious circumstance that he is the first to suffer from the short-sighted policy he condemned. Of all the members of the Board, he was the most interested in securing a safeand commodious harbor for this port, and it was from the arguments he advanced that, at an early meeting of ! the board, it was resolved to adopt Mr MeGregor's scheme. On the return of Mr : Ormond, the resolution, it wil' be remembered, was rescinded, Mr Carruthers' plans were adopted, the loan waß raised, the money has been spent, and with the , result that Napier has not a harbor to , this day. The chief objection to the i construction of more extensive works, i such as those contemplated in Mr MacGregor's scheme for an artificial harbor, ] was that Parliament would never sanction 1 the amount of the loan that would be ! required. That was Mr Ormond's sole ] argument, and he urged the desirability , of securing that which was possible in t preference to aiming at the unattainable, i Mr Ormond was in a better position than t anyone else to know the feeling of the House on the subject of loans for t local purposes, and his opinion was j on that point unhesitatingly accepted. "\ At the same time, however, he only c

compassed the rescinding of the resolution by his own casting vote as chairman, the opposition led by Mr Yautier believing that it would be better not to raise a loan at all than spend upon the harbor impiovements as designed by Mr Carruthers. Public feeliog ran so high at that time against tkc nro'ecutir.u cA the°e minor work-! which have since been carried out, that it became necessary tor their defence to maintain they would answer all the purposes of an artificial harbor. It was asserted, over and over again, that when completed wool vessels would be enabled to load inside, and the large coastal steamers to lie alongside the quays. As the works proceeded it became more and more evident tbat none of these hopes would be realised, so the tune was changed. It was then contended that the works were merely designed with a view to keeping the channel opeu; that the inuer harbor was not adapted for other than the smallest clas9 of coasters, ami that, as these could now come in and out "over the bar with some degree of safety, the whole object of the works had been most successfully attained. A handsome bonus was thereupon voted to Mr Carruthers, the wisdom of the majority on the Board was extolled, and the opposition of the minority severely deprecated. Time, that tries all things, has now given judgment on these harbor works, and has condemned them. It is now seen that the loan of £70,000 has been expended to no good or permanently useful purpose, for the port is as far off as ever from having a harbor. It is now seen tbat a dredge is absolutely necessary, and if this had been obtained two year's ago the accident to the Silver Cloud would not have occurred.