The Lyttelton Times

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 299, 12 September 1855, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times

Wednesday, Sept. 12.

The vexed subject of communication between the Port and the Plains is again becoming the staple of newspaper correspondence. No road was ever more written about than the Sumner road; —none ever gave so much opportunity for indecision and change of opinion. Yet after haying discussed every possible scheme for communication between Christchurch and Lyttelton, men are fain to recur to the Sumner road after all. Professional men have been unanimous upon the subject after repeated investigation at long intervals of time. Let us by all means improve the water communication as much as possible ; it must be of service to the Province. But we cannot understand the grounds upon which the necessity for land communication can be for a moment doubted. To argue upon such a po"» is mere waste of time. A. large sum^ money has been expended upon the bumner road, and we are very glad or" "* much has been done, that it must be gone on with. Whatever is done hereafter, i" » way of laying down rails upon the road, c us at any rate get the road finished nis^ We shall then be in a better position to se what we can afford in the way of future 1 provement; and, in the mean time, we s have a certain means of communication all weathers. If the work >to be stoppe for a tramway to be laid down on. one.f h tion of the road, Lyttelton and„Chnstctiui will not agree as to which end ol the

should be first converted into a railway. To show what different views people take of the most advantageous course to be pursued according tq the point of view from which they look at it, we may mention'the different opinions which we have heard expressed on the Plains and in Lyttelton, as to the point at which land carriage and water carriage should be made available. On the Plains it is often said that the best thing that could be done would be to complete a tramway at once from Christchurch to Sumner, and thence to ship produce. In Lyttelton exactly the opposite view of the question is taken. It is held by some that the tramway should be laid down from Lyttelton to Sumner, and that thence watercarriage up the river might be made available by means of barges ; and that thus the dangerous crossing oi the bar would be avoided. The fact is that both road and water communication Should be made as practicable as possible throughout the whole distance, and then merchants would soon find out for themselves which would be the most advantageous line to adopt. Probably both the road and the boats would be made use of according to the state of the weather and other uncontrollable circumstances. The great drawback at presentis not expense so much as uncertainty. Merchants mast have some means of communication which they can depend upon in all weather before they can speculate with any safety. Very often the very weather in which the bar is impassable is the most favourable otherwise for the transmission of produce. Nothing but a road will effect this certainty. We have never run away with the various chimerical projects which from time to time have been promulgated for the . solution. of our great difficulty, and we see no reason now for altering our often expressed opinion of the necessity for the speedy completion of the Sumner Road

The arrangements for opening the proposed Savings' Bank at Lyttelton are, we are glad to learn, nearly completed. A day has been definitively agreed upon by the Trustees on which the first deposits will be received. We feel assured that this institution will be productive of great benefit to a numerous class, to whom it will offer an excellent opportunity, if rightly turned to account, of largely adding to their resources. We sincerely trust that the exertions of the gentlemen who are promoters of the wndertaking, may be successful to the fullest extent that they could themselves desire.