THAT DOCK. Congratulations to the ''Citizens."

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 119, 11 October 1902, Page 8

THAT DOCK. Congratulations to the ''Citizens."

IF one were allowed to ask a question on the sacred subject of the Welington Dock that is to be, it would be, " Why was the dinner given on Tuesday night to the four gentlemen who so a Tenuously worked for the magnificent result said to have been tendered by the citizens of Wellington?" Certainly there were several citizens there, but it was apparent to the most unobservant that the gathering was not in the least representative of the people. Perhaps, the citizens of Wellington don't know what is good for them, as they are showing no unusual inclination to own a valuable property of this kind. # * • If one might be guided by the speeches of several prominent " prodockers," Wellington, the "finest port in Australasia," would be an ass not to have a white elephant. There were even references made to the fact that two ships had put in here disabled, and had to go away again. Surely that is a good enough reason why we should spend £250,000 in getting a dock to put them in, isn't it ? There may have been others, so the speaker said, and we daresay there may be more. * * # If this country was in urgent need of docks it would be a desirable thing for Parliament to vote a sum of money for that purpose, and it would be a smart thing for Wellington to try to get the biggest portion of ib, seeing it is the most important port in New Zealand. But the Wellington dock is not going to be a colonial institution. It is going to belong to Wellington, and the Wellington people are going to pay for it. Also, the Wellington people require to get it built to time, as provided for in the Dock Bill. • • • One could not avoid noticing that many of the dining pro-dockers had a decidedly uneasy feeling about incuring the expenditure of a quarter of a million. One of the quaintest reasons given, as showing the absolute necessity of it, was that in case of trouble off our coasts no disabled men-o'-war would put into this dockless port to get mended, and we, therefore, would be at the mercy of the Chinese, or whoever it was who was going to demolish us. It was generally agreed at the dinner that the dock would not pay for many years. What does that matter as long as we possess a pet in the form of a dock equal to, if not larger in its dimensions than that of Auckland. • • *■ The Admiralty probably don't want a dock down this way. They have one in Auckland, and the Auckland people are glad that someone did them the favour of helping them to pay them to pay the piper. It only now remains for Wellington to try its hand at an Admiral's

residence, and to get the Admiral to refuse to live in it. • • • An enigma suggested by a close attendance to the reasoning of these diners is : if Wellington, with a present tonnage of inward shipping far in excess of any other port in New Zealand, misses the repairing of two ships in a twelvemonth by being unprovided with a £250,000 dock, how much money would she earn if she were able to repair 12 ships yearly in twelve years' time if she had that dock ? It will attract shipping will that dock. It is obvious from the pro-dockers' statements that disabled ships do come here (say two in a year) and signal " Any dock ? " Answer, " No ! " Up anchor and away. Where to? Auckland, we expect, which port, however, even with its dock (for which there is so little use) is away behind us in the matter of shipping. • • • We've got to have that dock ! The Act says so. And the chief banquetters of Tuesday night insist upon it. The Act doesn't say if we can raise the money. It merely tells the Harbour Board to " wire in " and issues a stern mandate to that effect. There is to be no shadowy Basin Reserve business this time. We must build it and be prepared to cope with several hundred pounds' worth of repairs within ten years or so. The Act says so. It will be a protection to us so that if disabled warships come in to have shot holes mended and the enemy bombards us, the disabled ships in hospital will bombard back. We must go ahead with the times. The way to do this is to shovel the millions out and to rejoice as the hundreds come rolling in. We are to have a dock at last. Who said that Auckland would get ahead of us ?