NEW HARBOUR SCHEME.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 116, 14 June 1909, Page 4

NEW HARBOUR SCHEME.

3111. I'EXX ItEPUES TO Jill. JIAIiCIIAXT. ill-. W. J. Pcim, President of the Chamber of Commerce, writes to tile editor:— Sir,—Wiil you kindly alkw me to reply to ilr. Jlaicihan't's lo.t.tcr in your lust issue, in whic'h lie takes exception to my renrarks at the Chamber of Commerce meeting. First of all he says tliei't Captain Hone did not "utterlv" condenm bis proposal to extend the wharf (at an anjjle); he only "con-, demned" it. A littile further on, how ever, .Mr. Marchanit savs himself that "Captain Done raised an uncompromisin« oibjcrtinn to any extension of t>!ie leiwfth of 'the milmrf": from whic.li it is clear that he did utterly, fully, and totally .condemn lli;' singular extension. Then Mr. .Manhunt goes on to say that Captain Hone ■•likewise condemned Mr. X'iipier IWIV and Captain flood's exprojects." Why Captain Hood s'iionhl be draped into the controversy I don't know, because there is no project of iliis Ivctiire tile Harbor .Board or t'iv public, lim Mr. Xapier Hell's projoct referred to i-. as far as the wharf exleii-ioa is coneerncil. |iraetica ! ilv identical with .Mr. Mardianl'-, for tin- latter furni-l! .{ hi,- report anil ]*':iu iii .May, imni. and Mr. Xapier Itell reported nj ,'jn it in I" li IiHII. embodying i:i itis own -clii'iue Mr. Maivhaiit's proposal with regard to the extension of the wharf, the only dill'erenee being that Mr. Hell provided for an extensvon 41)11 feet by .V.I feet and Mr. llarchant 400 feet by 4S feet. 'Pints in condemning Mr. Xapier Hell's iprojeol Captain Hone a,lso condemned .Mr. Marcliant's, making two of the lattcr'.s schemes condemned. Xext Mr. Ma«haiit says that under his h T-beine for an angular extension it would Ue no .worse to handle large or .small ve.-,-cl* than at % main wharf at Tinmrii. At Tiimu-p, however. the main wharf M I believe, considerably over HHIU feet biiig, allowing more than/ ample room, for the wanps. while under the angylar extension scheme .here tliere would only die 500 feel of wini'f. which would not permit, of a 500 ft vessel being safely berthed. Jforeorer, vessel* would be lying broadside on to any northerly or north-easl-erlv roll coining.' in. while at Timaru thi.s i.- t)ot so. For these reasons' liis scheme was condemned. Then Mr. Mar. cluiitl sa' s: "J suggested as a solution tC*t- the wharf should .he. widened to SI) and Captain Hojie and Captain llood supported the suggestion. \Ye were told at the Chamber of Commerce meeting , w u<hat must lie regarded as reliable authority that this "idea was Mr. Maxwell's; now Mr. MaHiant claims it us his own; whose rcalh is it* The sand pump was Mr. Marcliini.'s tint'.l it begin to prove a failure; then he allowed .Mr. Jla.xwe.il to shoulder thercsponsihilitv. Will 'historv repeat itself? X'o douibt. Jlr. Council and Jl:\ King would like to lunvc ample room on tile wharf for s'heds: sii would we all: 'lml this eonvenienee may Sit- juiri'lia'-ed at too great a cost. The point whether the Hoard has moni'y enough to make a berth for large sterun'ers i'lishori' ,is is now proposed, or wlie,l:liei- Mie .fllllrlwill not .lie e.x'ballsled by expensive dredging <i|k' rati<jiis before that berthage is pruyided. To the concluding paragraph of Mr. Jlarchant's letter 1 need ,onlv reply that he lias no right to associate my 'remark* or attitude at the Chamber of Commerce with what lie is to ea'lil "new-paper el 1!:''.;- and ibusiiiiess." My "newspaper'' 'aiUvidualfty is left. Miind be when I attend Chamber of Commerce meetings.