OCEAN TRANSPORT

Hokitika Guardian, 21 September 1928, Page 4

OCEAN TRANSPORT

HARBOURS GOD NEVER INTENDED. EXPERT ENGINEERS’ JOB. Many interesting facts were disclosed at the Association Day function of the Wellington Commercial Travellers’ Association last week in the course of remarks made in proposing and responding to the double toast of “ Land and ocean'transport.” Mr H. H. Sterling had stated that in the past two years no passengers had lost their lives travelling on New Zealand railways, and in of ocean travel, Mr J. IT. C. Bond, Dipninion Superintendent' of the New Zea : 1 land Shipping Company, said that the New Zealand Shipping Company, from 1873 to the present day, 1928, had never lost the life at sea of any passenger they had carried. Referring to the development of ports, Mr Bond said the port of Wellington was as up to date as any in the world. Auckland had an up-to-date port. In developing a. port one difficulty was to develop a harbour where God never intended a harbour to he. They had such .an instance at Gisborne, where possibly , a million of money had been spent, and there were only two or three feet of water in the river where there were 10 feet 1 21. years ago. It was ail absolute crime that such things should he allowed :n Now Zealand, and such debts passed on to posterity. There should he two or three expert engineers appointed at £3OOI r; year each, their business being to sec the developments proposed so that tliev could say how far it would be possible to go. These engineers should not ho subject to vested interests or whims of Parliamentarians.

Air Bond said lie was proud to he a shipping man, because shipping was the life blood of the British Empire. When they lost control of the sea io any other nation it would ho the first stop towards disintegration. The United Kingdom could not exist without its food supplies from overseas, and for those supplies they had the British Navy to protect them, and every mercantile marine looked up to the British Nnvv with admiration and respect.