The Globe. MONDAY, JULY 10, 1876.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 642, 10 July 1876, Page 2

The Globe. MONDAY, JULY 10, 1876.

Day: after clay the necessity of providing a slip or graving dock for Lyttelton is more vividly brought before us. The case of the breaking clown of the mail steamer Colima was one specially to the point. It is the opinion of many that this huge boat only reached Port Chalmers in safety through sheer good luck. Utterly unmanageable under canvas no steam power available would havesuffieied to tow her to Port Chalmers in safety had adverse gales arisen, and her huge bulk might have been driven many miles from her destination. But this is only one of many instances. About two years ago the ship Crusader on the passage here from home sprang a leak, and when she discharged a diver was sent down and discovered that there was a hole in the centre of one of her plates about half an inch in diameter. This was temporarily stopped, but owing to their being no slip here could nob be properly ropaired, so her charter party ,was forfeited in consequeuce, and the ship had to go to Port Chalmers to be docked. But the most recent caso in point is that of the dredge Erskiue. This vessel has only been made ready for work here at the risk of a most hazardous experiment, and even now owing to its being impossible to cleanse her, after her machinery iB fixed there will be continual corrosion going on, which will no doubt tend greatly to deteriorate her in value or necessitate a visit to some better provided port. A dock in Lyttelton would not be only useful in these exceptional cases. Doubtless if such a convenience existed, the Bhips coming here would be all cleaned, a probablo difference of eight or ten clays time on the voyage home amply repaying them for the outlay. Besides that, it would be of great use to the port in employing labour, and no doubt many disabled vessels, like the Skerryvore and the Thomas S. Stowe, would make for this port to repair, did they know that sueh a convenience existed hero. The necessity of such a step has been frequently urged by the Chamber of Commerce on successive Provincial Councils, and at last, during the latter part of Mr. Kennaway's Government, a vote of £SOO was placed on the estimates, to defray the preliminary expense of surveving a proper site, and Sir John Coode's engineer, who had just finished reporting on the Timaru breakwater, was appointed to select a site and make out the necessary specifications. After a careful examination of the various bays in the vicinity of Lyttelton, he selected the western portion of Dainpier's Bay,-close to the Naval Point breakwater, as the best position for a graving dock and patent slip, recommending the formation of both j

the slip to be used for smaller and the dock for larger Teasels. The plans, &c, were taken home, and specifications would have been completed before this had it not been for the Provincial G-overnment. These gentlemen have been acting tho part of a dog in the manger in this matter for years, for it appears they will not do anything themselves, and they have shut out all private enterprise which, before this, r would without doubt, as in Wellington, have provided a slip sufficiently large for the requirements of the port. Had the Government guaranteed a suitable site, plenty of capital would have been available, but instead of doing this all they would do was to offer to allow private individuals to erect such a slip or dock on the distinctunderstanding that they were merely occupying the land on sufference, and were at any moment liable to be served with a notice to quit which of course would render their plant almost, if not quite, useless. In Otago a different course was pursued by the Provincial Government. On a private company proposing to build the existing floating dock they guaranteed them a certain percentage on their capital, and the result proved the wisdom of this liberality, as, when it was once erected, it paid the shareholders so well that the Government were never called on to contribute a single halfpenny. This is one of those matters which will no doubt be fully considered should tho proposed Harbour Board be established, and the mere fact of the matter having been neglected so long proves the urgent need for the formation of such a body.

This morning, as will be seen by the report of the Lyttelton Magistrate's Court, two men were sentenced to one week's imprisonment for having, on Saturday night, broken a lamp in order to be locked up, as they had no money, and no friends, and dreaded sleeping out in the streets on that bitterly cold night. We are informed that before they committed the offence they applied to a constable for shelter, which, of course, he could not provide. This incident brings forcibly before our notice the necessity of some building, under the control the police, being set apart in Christchurch and Lyttelton to meet such cases. We are thankful to say that 3uch cases are, a 3 yet, not numerous, but we believe there are occasionally instances of genuine want, for which at present we make no provision. Surely it is better to give such people a bed and a meal than to herd them with thieves and vagabonds, and make them lose that selfrespect, without which such men soon become burdens on the public. At this season of the year, we are informed that dozens who sleep out in their blankets on the hills surrounding Lyttelton, who are not thieves, as proved by the fact that clothes and other saleable articles are left out all night by the inhabitants in the localities which they frequent, and they arc never stolen. Some day, when the dead body of 3ome pohr fellow is found, there will be an outcry and a reform. Why cannot something be done at once? The police can be trusted to distinguish the genuioe loafer from the innocent poor man ; and if the Government cannot or will not bestir themselves, there are surely plenty amongst us charitably disposed enough to take the matter in hand.