THE PORT ACCOMMODATION.

Evening Star, Issue 3029, 4 November 1872, Page 2

THE PORT ACCOMMODATION.

This afternoon a deputation, consisting of Messrs Walcott, M‘Neill, Brodriek, Houghton, Mills, and Guthrie, waited upon his Honor the Superintendent, and brought under his notice the necessity for extending the wharfage accomodation at Rattray street, and improving the channel. Mr Walcott said the coastal trade was increasing rapidly, especially by steamers of small draught, which were superseding sailing vessels. At the present moment there were five or six steamers and three sailing vessels alongside the wharf, three of which were only able to get alongside after three days’ delay. This was not an exceptional state of things. The idea of the deputation was, that the platform should be extended 200 or 300 feet, so as to enable two more vessels to come alongside, which would elieve the traffic for some time. ( omiected with wharf accommodation was the subject of dredging the channel. In April a deputation from the Chamber of Commerce waited on Messrs Reid and Bradshaw, and represented that the channel, instead of having 11 feet of water, was actually IS inches or 2 feet less, and suggested that the Rattray street sewer should he made to discharge below the wharf, thus preventing the filling up now going on, and that the stuff dredged should in future be placed where it could not he washed back again. The reply of the Government was, that when the Port Railway Pier was dredged, dredging operations would he resumed at Rattray street. Seven months had elapsed since then, and the channel had got worse. The Harriett Armitage, drawing much less than the suppose quantity ot water, stuck in the channel, and had to be lightered, at considerable expense. The most urgent thing, however, was the extension of the wharfage accommodation. His Honor admitted the question was one of necessity, and that something should be done at once He was very glad the deputation had moved in the matter, as the question had been exciting attention in his mind lately. Even to-day he went over the ground with the view of submitting a proposal to the Executive at its next meeting, which would increase the wharf accomodation. His idea was to reclaim the laud between the Rattray street and old jetties —a work that would return L 15,000 to L 20,000 to the Provinco—thus giving the country districts the benefits of prison labor, and double the wharf accommodation. He had no idea the dredge had been at tbePort so long. It was further mentioned as an instance of the present inconvenience, that Mr Brodriek to-day received a shipment of coals on a light draught; but fearing the vessel might be stuck, and the consequent delay, he had telegraphed that she was to go on to another port. His Honor said it was decided some time ago to employ a side dredge, but the matter had apparently been allowed to go to sleep, lie would, however, bring the whole subject before the Executive to-morrow.