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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 272, 22 April 1914, Page 4

MISLEADING STATK.MI-.YiS.

Wo. referred yesterday to the practice indulged in by certain interested parties of neglecting no opportunity of putting tin: New Plymouth liarbor in an mifavorttb'e light, misrepresenting its condition, scouting its prospects and possihilities, and condemning the expenditure of further money upon its improvement. Wo showed that the answer to ail this. was the forthcoming berthing of a European liner with a cargo of o\et 5000 tons, the pioneer of what will prove direct trade between England ami Turn. naki. To what extent a wrongful impression of the port can be given, is shown by a letter appearing elsewhere under the signature of "An old .shareholder of the Mt. Egmont Freezing Co." The correspondent sounds a "warning note" to fanners who may think of putting any money into the proposed cooperative freezing works. lie has, he •*y», been watching the progress of the port, and finds, by reference to the Nautical Almanacs of 1012 and 1913, that "the improvements in the shape of deepening the berth and the approach thereto have been practically nil." It is necessary, in order to rebut this statement, to explain that in the last two year* the work at the liarbor has been' practically confined to the deep-water cut, and to dredging the berth alongside the cut to a depth of 33ft. Comparatively little lias been done at the approach, for the simple reason that until the deep-water berth is finally completed and the swinging basin finished off, it would be putting the cart before the horse to make an approach. When the work referred to has been completed, then the dredging of the channel to a depth of 25ft will be pushed on. With regard to our correspondent's statement as to the depths shown in the Nautical Almanacs, both as regards the approach and the deep berth, the position requires to be gone into a little more closely. As far as the approach or fairway is concerned, the Board has actually deepened it in the last few years from 14ft Bin in 1910 to an average depth of 21ft 6in in November, 1913, an increase of 7ft, for an area of 1200 ft long by 400 ft wide. This statement was embodied in the report of the Dredging Committe on November 21, 1913 The work required to be done is the' dredging of the fairway to a depth of 23ft at low-water spring tide, and this will be pushed on after the completion of the deep-water bertli and swinging 'basin. As to the latter, a sounding taken by the harbormaster this month, a plan of which may be seen at the Harbor Board-office, gives nn a verage depth of nearly 33ft, but there is some'finishing work connected with this and the swinging, basin yet to be done. F,.,ch monthly report of the harbormaster snows furthet progress with this ;i:iff cut. As to the correspondent's deductions from his perusal of the Nautical Almanac, it should first Tie pointed out,that he has referred only to the Almanacs for 1912 and 1013, and has overlooked that for 1014, which is in our hand?. In the 1913 chart the depth of li,e approach is nowhere shown to be greater than 21ft, and that depth is shown enly in one place. In parts it is ay |„. v as 10ft. Its average depth is Itiff. |„ the 1914 chart, the deepest place is shown at 24ft, and in a direct line with this the depths are 22ft to 20ft sea ..yards, .and shorewards they run 22ft fiin, 21ft, 23ft, 15ft. Its average depth out about the same area is l()%ft. |„ !„,(!, CR!U . ts depths close in shore ar. s'.„wn as low as lift, but these have „oi, !,..,,„ taken ■ into account in strikhi- an average. This comparison is sufli(i;i,i. to indicate that the approach, so far f.-om being allowed to go back, is iU |vii„. hi'r. It is true that the average depth in 1914 is lower than that mention.-d by the Dredging Committee in 1913, but it must be remembered thai, the depth "looted by the committee v.-.tn made tip from a chart showing the soundings more fully .than is done in the chart in the Nautical Almanac, which is of necessity on a smaller scale. Farmers need have no ihesitancy or ,',,,,■ :.:•■■■.}, ,-oing on with the freezing wri'K The har" I'or will be ready for t'a, „..... r„nodaiioii of the big steamers be[„r { . the proposed frecizng works n.r.. y : .-.,: ( -, ( , VMI if an early start is mad., vv's'ii their erection. If the other -lat-ments in the letter of our correspond. ~f ~r o (m a par with those in conned;,,., with the poll, then they miu* be ver. misleading. We may refer to th'om oa ;.-adher occasion.